


The Harrow

by DotaroVSJio



Series: The Harrow [1]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Gay Disaster Amity Blight, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Spooky, luz is evil, well more like scary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26570404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DotaroVSJio/pseuds/DotaroVSJio
Summary: Street-side rumors tell of a person who lives in a cabin deep in the woods. This person, known as the Harrow, will grant any one request you might have of them, in exchange for something you cherish above everything else. And Amity is going to ask this person to get the new Azura book.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Series: The Harrow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042170
Comments: 65
Kudos: 430





	1. Chapter 1

Amity shivered. This forest gave her the creeps. Why was she even wandering through the woods in the first place? It’s a long story.

  
One day, while passing through the market, a rather loud voice wandered into her ears. “Hey, kid! You look like you got money. Care to take a look at my wares?” The culprit was a fairly tall woman, her hair gray and extravagant. Her red dress was adorned by a golden gem that matched a fang extruding from her mouth. “I sell the finest human treasure you’ll find in the Boiling Isles! How about this key-like object that’s actually a deadly weapon? Or perhaps the skin of a dog that humans would wear into combat? They sure like violence, don’t they?”

  
Despite neither of those articles sounding anywhere near appealing to Amity, she found herself drawn to the artifacts the lady had presented on her table. There were many strange devices laid out: a box with a side made of glass; a strange set of rocks with numbers on them; some rainbow-colored snakes, as well. Nothing particularly caught her eye until she noticed a book. The tome was rather thick, and was adorned by a pink cover. Amity recognized it immediately.

  
The Good Witch Azura was Amity’s favorite series, though she’d never admit it. A book of a witch who goes on life-threatening adventures simply to save the ones she loves. The writing, the dialogue, the characters; Amity loved every bit of it. As such, she kept the only known copies of it in a very secret place in the library. Not secret so that no one would destroy the books, but secret so that those who want to ruin her wouldn’t laugh at her for reading such a childish series.

  
Grabbing the book, Amity was excited until she noticed that it was a copy she’d already owned. Her ears slightly drooped, and the stall owner noticed. “What’s the matter, kid? Not what you thought it was?”

  
Amity was snapped out of her mind. “Huh? No--er, yeah, I was just hoping this was the next book in the series. You wouldn’t happen to have the fifth book, would you?”

  
Without even looking for it, the lady shook her head. “Sorry, kid, nothing. Better luck next time!” Saddened, Amity placed the book back on the table and began to walk away.

  
Eda was never one to care about what children thought, but she was in a good mood and hadn’t done her good deed of the day yet. Thinking quickly, she remembered a tale she’d heard every so often around the market.

  
“Hold on, you. There may be hope for you yet. I think I know someone who can get you that book.”

Amity turned around, and despite trying to control her joy, her eyes lit up. “Really? You do?”

Eda was surprised at the witchling’s outburst. “Well, not personally, but I’ve heard tales about them doing favors for people.” She looked around, making sure no one else was listening in on their conversation. “Word around here is that there’s a person deep in the forest north of Bonesborough who grants wishes. Don’t know what their name is, but they’re usually called the ‘Harrow’. Weird, huh? According to the stories, they live in a small cabin. If you present them with something you value, then they’ll grant any one wish you request, no matter how outlandish. Pretty sure if someone told them to off the emperor, they’d do it.”

Amity was skeptical, to say the least. She wasn’t usually one to listen to rumors in the first place. Not only that, but the thought of going out through that forest, all alone, with one of your most prized possessions only to give it away for a single favor didn’t really do anything to ease Amity’s anxiety.

“Even if it turns out to be fake, doesn’t hurt to try, right?” Eda brought up a fair point as she practically read Amity’s mind. She was right, of course. Trying never killed anyone (well, almost never killed anyone), and she could easily back out at any time if she felt uncomfortable, right?

And so, Amity stood among the overgrowth, as lost as she’d ever been. The foliage had blocked the path long ago. She turned around several times in the same spot, eyes peeled for anything that might give her a clue.

There wasn’t a lot.

Amity began to grow more and more frustrated. With a flick of her wrist, her Abomination rose from the soil and smashed a tree to pieces as she threw a rock in a random direction.

“Why am I even going through all this trouble?! All I wanted was some stupid novel!”

As Amity prepared to leave, she realized that she didn’t know the way back. Refusing to let anything stop her at this point, she picked the direction the rock flew and began walking. She took three steps before she was stopped by a voice.

“That wasn’t very nice, miss witch. That was my favorite tree, after all.”

Amity quickly turned around as a chill went down her spine. The voice was calming, yet it put her on edge. Spying nothing behind her, she put it to rest as a figment of her imagination, spurred by the spookiness of the woods. Turning back to her walking direction, an upside-down face greeted her. It grinned. “Hello, there.”

To say she was surprised wouldn’t be doing the picture justice. Amity’s skeleton nearly leapt out of her skin, causing her to fall back at least two yards. As she backed away, Amity could tell that it was a full figure that appeared, not just a face. The… person laughed and folded their arms. “Do you get frightened often? That reaction tells me ‘yes’. Or does it tell me ‘no’? For a price, I might answer that.”

Amity stared, still on the ground, mouth agape. How had this person appeared so suddenly? Where did they come from? And why are they hanging from a branch? Though dark, Amity noticed a few glowing spots on the figure’s body. Each of them were red, and seemed to drip from the figure’s own skin.

One of their eyebrows jerked up (down?). “Well? Are you going to speak, or are you going to sit up there and gawk at my dramatic appearance?” They were certainly proud of themselves. Amity processed the question, then stood up quickly, dusting herself off. She attempted to meet the person’s intimidating gaze, but instead found herself looking just slightly below their eyes.

“I, erm… well, you see, I’m here for…” Amity sighed, summoning what courage she had. She remembered that she still had her Abomination ready, in case this person tried anything. “I’m looking for someone known as the Harrow. Would you happen to know where they are?”

The person’s smile grew wider. “Know them? Girly, I’ve known the Harrow my entire life. I know where they are this very instant. Want me to take you to them?”

“That won’t be necessary, thank you. Just directions is all I need.” Amity felt both at ease and extremely uncomfortable. Anxious? Something along those lines.

“Aw, really? I was looking forward to it. Not many people come this deep into the forest, so I get lonely easily. What’s wrong? Scared I might do something to ya?” They flashed their teeth at Amity, who, despite being seven feet away, flinched. The figure laughed. “Well, to each their own, I guess. You’ll want to look for a small cabin deeper into the woods, off in that direction. They pointed in the opposite direction of the rock Amity had kicked. Sighing, Amity thanked the figure.

“No problemo.” The person unhooked their legs from the branch and fell to the ground, landing somewhat ungracefully on their feet. They picked up Amity’s rock and began walking away. Amity did the same. She walked for a little while before the same voice startled her once more. “So what’s your name?”

Amity jumped as she saw the same person at her side, staring at her intently. “I--what?” Amity stumbled across her words. The figure slapped their face with their own hand.

“Sorry, I guess I should introduce myself, first. The name’s Luz. Luz Noceda. My first name means light. Interesting, huh?”

All Amity could do was nod, her mouth hung slightly open, until she realized what Luz’s growing silence meant. “I’m, uh, Amity. That’s my name.”

Luz’s smile was everlasting. “So, Amity, why are you going to see the Harrow?”

She had to think for a moment before answering. "There's a book I want, but I can't get it anywhere on the Boiling Isles. I was curious as to whether the Harrow would be able to find it for me."

"Are you certain that the Harrow will be able to obtain this book you oh so desperately desire?" Amity was uncomfortable with how dramatic Luz's words were. She sounded like a poet, but her tone of voice resembled something more like a rude bard's.

"Of course not. Rumors are rumors. No one knows for sure."

"Yet here we are."

Amity found she didn't have an argument for that.

Luz kept at the attempts to start a conversation with Amity, but she found Luz to be quite draining, so Amity did her best to stay quiet. She would occasionally say something, but nothing to reveal anything about herself. Eventually, the two came to a bleak cabin on the verge of collapse.

"The Harrow lives there." With a point and a wave, Luz turned on her heel and left. "Hope you can get whatever it is you want!"

Amity sputtered. "Aren't you coming inside with me?"

"Why would I? Anything I would wish for can't happen at all, so why bother?" Amity wondered what Luz meant by that as she disappeared into the forest. She turned back to the cabin. Inhale, exhale. One step, two steps, three, four. Amity wasn't sure why she was counting the steps she was taking. Perhaps it helped keep her mind off of the spiders in her stomach.

The wicked door opened with a screech. Amity cringed as she opened it. Even as her hand lingered on the doorknob, it remained cold to the touch, unyielding to Amity’s clammy hands. The interior of the cabin seemed smaller than it should’ve been. To Amity’s left was a lit fireplace with two comfortable looking chairs. An elegant yet worn carpet decorated the floor. There were several picture frames on the walls, yet they all appeared empty. A rather bright chandelier hung from the ceiling.

A vaguely kitchen-like arrangement sat to Amity’s right. She spotted a fridge, a stove, and even a dishwasher. Amity questioned how any of it worked in a cabin this deep into the woods. This building was at least an hour away from any civilization. She wondered if any of Bonesborough’s technicians even knew this place existed. Ahead of her, a small doorway opened into a hallway that went left and right.

Each step Amity took caused the floorboards to creak. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Goosebumps rose from her arms. Amity couldn’t help but wonder what the Harrow must look like. Perhaps they were an old man, cast out by society and forced into the woods, granting wishes to those who visit him. Or maybe the hermit was a demon who found entertainment in the struggles of other people.

“Well, well, it seems I have some fresh meat on my hands tonight.”

Amity jumped at the voice. It was nothing she could’ve prepared herself for. It sounded deep and hoarse, but also as if it wasn’t the person’s real voice. Turning around, Amity could see the top of someone’s head behind one of the chairs. She meant to speak, but her throat went dry.

“So, what brings you here, witch? What do you desire more than anything else?” Finding her words, Amity tried once more.

“I--I need you to get a book for me. It’s pink, big, and it’s called The Good Witch Azu-”

Amity was interrupted by the figure stomping their foot on the floor as they stood up. She was surprised the plank underneath didn’t split in half. “Now, what makes you think that I would--” the person cut themselves off as they broke into a fit of laughter. They laughed harder than Amity had ever heard anyone laugh. “Ah, creepy voices never get old, you know?” She recognized that voice.

“Luz?!” Amity did a double take as Luz turned around to face her. A small grin spread across Luz’s face grew wider. In the light of the fireplace and the chandelier, Amity could get a better look at her. Her hair was disheveled. Amity guess it hadn’t been properly brushed in months. Her clothes were worn and dirty, consisting of a small hoodie, jeans and white shoes. Along her arms and legs, Amity saw various markings carved into Luz’s skin. She saw a hint of one of them poking out from the collar of her shirt, as well.

“In the flesh.” Luz put her hands behind her back and slowly walked towards Amity. “So, Miss Blight, to what do I owe this grand visit?”

“Wait, hang on a second. I don’t understand--you’re the Harrow?” Amity almost couldn’t believe it.

“Is that what they’re calling me?” Amity was pretty sure Luz knew the answer to that question. “You think they would’ve picked a better name for someone who can literally grant wishes. That’s why you’re here, right? You wanted me to find some book?”

Amity was slightly uncomfortable as Luz got closer than she should’ve been. “Y-yes, that’s right. It’s called the Good Witch Azura. In particular, I need the fifth book in the series.”

“And where might I find this book that the young Blight deemed so important, she came to the Harrow for help?”

"Wait, what? I have to tell you where it is?"

“I’m a miracle _worker_ , witchling, not a miracle maker. I can’t create it out of thin air. You have to give me a lead to work with, here.”

Amity gulped. “Well, I’m not sure exactly where, but I’m pretty sure you can find it in the Human Realm.”

That was the first time Amity had seen Luz’s smile drop. She expected Luz to go back to the creepy smile she had, but instead, she heard Luz’s voice full of disdain and hatred.

“The Human Realm, huh?” Luz walked back to the chair. As she placed her hand on it, the fabric burst into flames, blasting Amity with a wave of heat. She covered her face. The heat eventually died down. Amity lowered her arm and saw Luz faced away from her, staring at one of the nonexistent pictures on the wall.

“And you understand my price, right? I don’t do this for free. Something you care deeply about must be given up.”

Amity nodded and reached into her bag. “I brought this.” She presented a book with a purple cover, a blank name plate on the front. Her diary. “All my thoughts, feelings, emotions, ramblings, and anything else are in this book. I imagine that’s worth some fiction book from the Human Realm.”

Luz faced Amity. Her smile was still gone, but her face had become unreadable. An eyebrow perked up as she observed the book, stepping closer to Amity. Following an uncomfortable silence, Luz snickered.

“Bring your little payment this time again tomorrow. I’ll have the book by then.” Luz then patted Amity on the head and began walking to the hallway. See you soon, Little Blight.”

Amity left the cabin feeling put off for some reason. She narrowed it down to three options: this whole situation was horrible; she never even told Luz her last name; or she realized that she was blushing when Luz got so close to her.

It wasn’t her fault. Anyone would be nervous if someone like that was two inches away from them. It was not because Amity thought Luz’s brown eyes were pretty.

Wait, what?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity returns to the Harrow's cabin to get her book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: yes, I changed the title from 'Harrowing Words' to 'The Harrow'. I feel it suited the story better.  
> That's all! Enjoy the new chapter.

Amity’s day went by about as fast as she got out of bed this morning. Which was, to say, slow as hell. She was up rather late, thinking about her encounter with the Harrow--Luz.

She still thought it was strange that they turned out to be the same person. She mentally slapped herself numerous times over the fact that the hint Luz dropped completely went over her head. She had dealt with oblivious people before, but it seemed that when she wasn’t staying on her toes, she failed to notice obvious things as well.

Her next meeting with Luz interrupted quite a few of her thoughts. She spaced out while Boscha ranted at lunch (she always does that, but it was worse today), bumped into people in the hallways, and even failed to take proper notes in class. Her notebook was instead filled with unfinished sentences and small doodles. Once the final bell had rung, she practically launched herself out of the school when she realized she’d left her diary at home.

Willow was surprised when Amity Blight bumped into her. The witchling seemed far too distracted to be running through the halls that quickly. Just when she was going to speak up, however, Amity gave a quick apology and sped off once more. Willow and Augustus looked on as she ran, confused for two different reasons. Augustus pondered what would make Amity Blight run that fast besides Grudgby. “Well, that was weird. Anyway, that rumor you heard about, Willow. You said it requires some payment?” Willow wasn’t paying attention, as she’d realized that Amity Blight apologized to her, Willow Park.

When the doors to Blight Manor burst open, Amity was too distracted to notice that her siblings, Edric and Emira, had somehow arrived home first, despite not running at top speed. She raced to her room, ignoring their greetings, and grabbed her diary from the secret drawer she kept it in after the twins discovered her secret spot in the library. Turning back to hurry out of the building, she was stopped at her bedroom door by Ed and Em, wearing their practically permanent smiles.

“Where are you off to in such a rush, MIttens?” Em was the first to speak up.

“It’s none of your business. I don’t see why I have to tell you guys everything about my life.”

Edric spoke next. “It’s because we’re worried about you, baby sis. You know we’re sorry about that library incident, and we want to make it up to you.”

Amity rolled her eyes. “Well, I appreciate it, but I’d like it more if you two would just butt out and give me some space for once.” She shoved past the twins and made for the door, slowing her pace slightly to make a point.

“You know, mom and dad were wondering why you were home so late.”

Amity stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened. “I was, uh, studying late with Boscha and Skara. I told them that I wouldn’t be home for dinner.”

Emira walked up and put one arm around Amity. “Of course, Mittens. That’s what we told them, too. We know you have a big test coming up, so you wanted to get some extra studying in.”

“We’ll tell them the same thing tonight, too, on one condition.” Emira and Edric made eye contact with each other, and their grins grew bigger. Amity groaned.

“Fine, whatever. What do you want?”

“Tell us where you’re really going.” Amity’s head raced as she debated whether or not to tell these two the truth. On one hand, she knows that they would absolutely lie to their parents for her, seeing as not only are they still trying to make up for the library incident, but they’re not the biggest fans of Mr. and Mrs. Blight, either. On the other hand, these two would go absolutely insane with the valuable information Amity has.

If she told them ‘no’, then she wouldn’t be able to write about it in her diary, because they’d find that easily. She’d also have to hide the new Azura book from them, since they’d ask where she got it from, and since they’re the better liars between the three of them, Amity would have no chance at coming up with a feasible story.

“Fine. I’ll tell you. I’m meeting a person who said they could get me a book I’ve been looking for. It is pretty shady, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt. If they try anything, I know how to protect myself.” As Amity finished, an uncomfortable silence stretched between her and the twins. Eventually, Emira shrugged.

“Alright, if that’s it, then we’ll take care of things here.”

Amity blinked. “Wait, what? That’s it?”

Edric smiled and sat his hand on Amity’s head. “Yep. If that’s what you say, Mittens, then we’ll believe you. Don’t worry about mom and dad, we got them.” Em and Ed waved one more time, then walked away, leaving Amity stunned. She almost went after them to say thanks before she remembered that she had somewhere to be.

Eventually, Amity made it back to the same spot in the forest. The cabin had the same, rickety aura as before. Her mind wandered to the mystery behind it. As far as she was concerned, there were two explanations as to why it looked like this: either it was hundreds of years old, or Luz was really bad at taking care of it. Considering her personality, the latter wasn’t all that unlikely.

It was also at this point that Amity realized she hadn’t seen Luz in the forest like last time. Even if their first interaction was weird, to say the least, Amity found Luz rather interesting. Though she had been rather condescending, and, well, creepy, Luz hadn’t done anything to Amity that was even remotely harmful. Perhaps it was just circumstances that led Luz to be who she is right now, but she didn’t seem like a bad person.

The door opened before Amity could grab the doorknob. So Luz _was_ aware of Amity’s presence. She took a quick glance behind her to ensure she wasn’t being watched or followed and stepped through the threshold of the cabin. There was a new chair to replace the one Luz had burnt yesterday. The fireplace was burning a nice shade of blue, and Amity could smell something cooking. It smelled good, but unlike anything she knew of on the Boiling Isles. Looking to the kitchen half of the room, she saw Luz hard at work on something. She bounced along to a song that was only playing in her head, her hair swaying in tune. It was a rather peaceful domestic moment.

“You’re early.” Luz’s voice snapped Amity out of her trance. It wasn’t as condescending or sarcastic as yesterday.

“I guess I was just anxious.” Feeling more at peace here than yesterday, Amity stood next to Luz, watching her cook. She had never seen the food that was inside the pan. It sizzled with a satisfying sound. On the counter to Luz’s left sat several round cakes on a plate.

Luz smirked. “Well, since you’re here, might as well set the table.” She pointed to two cupboards overhead. The old, wooden table already had two pairs of silverware, so all Amity had to do was place and arrange the plates and cups. She saw a pitcher full of an orange liquid and a bottle full of the much thicker, brown liquid.

_Did she really get all of this stuff for me?_ Amity was surprised to find that she was flattered. It was always nice to have someone else cook for you. Then again, receiving a meal from a stranger in the woods covered in… whatever those symbols were, didn’t really put Amity’s mind at ease.

Eventually, Luz flipped the meat in the pan onto another plate. She cleaned herself off before bringing the food to the table. Amity took this cue to sit down at one side. Her host places two of the cakes and three strips of meat onto Amity’s plate before doing the same on her own. She also poured them both some of the orange stuff.

“This is a very popular meal over in the Human Realm,” Luz explained, “they’ll eat this for breakfast, dinner, brunch… it’s almost creepy how much they like it.” Amity wasn’t sure how much Luz could talk about other people being creepy. “These are called pancakes, like little cakes made in a pan. You pour this syrup on them to make them a bit sweeter.” Amity watched as Luz demonstrated, then followed her example. “The meat is called bacon, and the drink is orange juice. Dig in!”

Amity hesitantly took her first bite of her ‘pancakes’, not expecting what she got. The pancakes were flourly, fluffy, and sweet, thanks to the syrup. The bacon was both crisp and chewy, a perfect balance between the two. This orange juice Luz had was also delicious. Every bite made Amity feel warm inside.

While Amity carefully cut her pancakes into smaller bits, Luz was rather messy and almost animalistic in the way she ate her food. By the time Amity went for seconds, Luz was patting her stomach after her third plate. A small smile grew on Amity’s face at the Harrow’s behavior. Despite her creepy appearance and behavior, she really was just a kid.

It took her a second to process that. Really? This person, covered in carvings, who has the power to grant any request you might have of them, is just a child, like her. How long has she lived on her own like this? Or is there someone else in the cabin? She’d never seen anyone else around here.

"I got the ingredients for that from the Human Realm, you know."

Amity looked up. The two of them were currently washing dishes. "Really?"

"Yep. I figured I might as well get some things to eat while I was over there." So she did go to the Human Realm.

"I appreciate you cooking all this for me. It was delicious."

Luz snickered. "I would say 'don't mention it', but you're the only one I've done this for. I guess I wanted to do something interesting for once."

The rest of the cleaning was done in silence.

Soon, everything was put away, and Luz got down to business. "Right then, I have your book.” She tapped one of the symbols on her right arm--she called them glyphs--and soon enough, a book floated from the hallway right into Luz’s hand. There it was: The Good Witch Azura, book five. The pink cover was adorned by the two main characters, Azura and Hecate, holding a staff into the air together. Amity had to stop herself from squealing at the cover. She reached for it before Luz held it away.

“Not so fast, Little Blight. You know the rules.” Her voice now carried the same tone as yesterday. Amity reached into her bag and pulled out her diary. Taking one last look at the cover, Amity assured herself that this was the best course of action and handed it to Luz. Luz smiled and gave Amity the new book in return. Amity quickly opened the book to read the summary. Azura and Hecate, finally banding together after four whole books of being rivals, must face tons of new threats in this epic finale of the series. She was getting lost in it when she looked up.

Luz was looking at the cover of her diary with a bored expression. She flipped to one page, skimmed it, then flipped to another one. She didn’t linger on any one page for very long. She even yawned at one point. “Well, this is boring.” She closed the journal and tossed it over her shoulder. “I was expecting something more… gripping, but instead it’s just ‘my siblings are annoying’. And who’s this ‘Boscha’ girl? She sounds like a pain in the--oh, sorry, that was close. Forgot there were children present.”

Amity felt smaller. That wasn’t just because she’s shorter than Luz, but to have her most private thoughts and feelings called boring was somewhat demeaning. “Of course, a deal’s a deal, so I can’t complain. You got your little novel, and I got whatever that was.” A wry smile displayed on Luz’s face. “However, I have a small favor to ask you, Miss Blight.”

_Oh, TItan. She’s going to ask me to kill someone, or bring her a sacrifice, or take her out, or something--what?_

“Come see me again. Two days time.”

That had caught Amity off guard. “Why?” Luz walked over and plopped herself on one of the chairs near the fireplace.

“Well, pretty much anyone who visits me here is looking to have their greatest wishes fulfilled, so no one really bothers to talk to me. It gets dreadfully boring here, all alone in the forest. So, I want you to come and talk to me.” Luz looked at Amity over her shoulder. “Besides, now that your diary is my property, you’re going to need some way to express your inner strife. So, you’ll come talk to me, and I’ll listen. Simple as that.” Amity considered the situation. Luz was really just looking for a friend, in the end. Someone to hang out with, to talk to. That wasn’t really so bad. When she thought about it, she was the same way. Sure, Boscha and Skara existed, but they were usually more concerned with their own issues. There were also the twins, and whileAmity knew they would swear to secrecy, the amount of teasing she would receive for talking to them would prove to be far too much.

“And if I don’t?” The question was nagging at Amity’s mind. Luz shrugged.

“Well, I suppose I could curse you, so that every night you don’t visit me, you wet the bed. But I’m not that cruel. So I’d likely find another way to see you.” Another way? Did she mean that she would come out of her cabin and look for Amity herself? She definitely couldn’t let Luz anywhere near Blight Manor, Hexside, or any other place Amity was well known. Besides all those thoughts rushing through her brain, Amity had another question.

“Why? Why do you really want me to come back?”

Luz was silent for a second. Eventually, she stood in front of Amity, peering down at her, a crooked grin on her face. “I’ve taken a bit of a liking to you, Miss Blight. I enjoy your company. Besides, how can you say ‘no’ when I made such a special meal, just for you?” Amity thought back on the evening the two of them had shared. Eating delicious food, chatting about some nonsense, and enjoying each other’s company. Being honest with herself, Amity enjoyed today. When Luz wasn’t being creepy or popping up in weird places, she was fun to be around, and, dare Amity say, endearing. Besides, the alternative wasn’t much better. She would probably get nagged at by her parents, teased by her siblings, or be forced to listen to Boscha ramble on about her last Grudgby match.

“Of course, you don’t have to come every day. You’re a person, as well, with your own business that needs to get done.” By the time Luz had said that, however, Amity had already made her decision. She looked at Luz, whose smile grew wider.

“See you soon, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into Luz's true personality? :O  
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next one will likely be out by this upcoming Sunday. Giving myself a good deadline so I don't burn myself out writing this.  
> Next time: Luz plays piano.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Harrow and Luz both play piano.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beat my deadline by a day! Hell yeah!  
> What instrument(s) do you think canon Luz would play?

Amity had gone back to see Luz a third time. And then a fourth, a fifth, sixth, and so on. The two of them quickly fell into the routine of Amity rushing to Luz’s cabin after school ended. She didn’t go to see her every day--giving her parents a reason to be suspicious was pretty low on her to-do list.

The two of them often talked about pointless things. Amity didn’t think it was very important to tell Luz about what kid tripped in the hallway today. Despite that, she found the Harrow hanging off her every word as she rambled on. She laughed at things that normal people would find funny. She would rarely ask questions, only when she felt necessary. There were times where her curiosity got the better of her, and Luz would have a field day of questions for Amity. She didn’t mind. In fact, Amity found her childish wonder cute.

In a platonic way.

One time, Amity had mindlessly asked Luz about people coming to the Harrow and asking for wishes. Luz had then done a dramatic retelling of a teenage boy who came in and asked for his widowed mother to find someone who will make her happy. The Harrow wasn’t particularly excited to play matchmaker, but the solid gold locket she had received was far more than worth it. The entire spectacle was rather endearing.

Luz asked Amity to bring the first  _ Azura  _ book once. When she brought it, the two of them did a theatrical reading of the story. Luz played Azura, and Amity played Hecate, with the two of them taking turns as the narrator. Amity had to be honest with herself; it was the most fun she’d had with the book for a while. She was also astounded by Luz’s understanding of the characters. Luz practically jumped around the room, acting out scenes and epic battles between witches.

Sometimes, Luz would have different meals, treats, and snacks prepared when Amity arrived. Some were of the Demon Realm, and others came from the Human Realm. Today’s snack was small cookies of various colors and flavors. Luz called them ‘macaroons’. Amity was hesitant to make them, but when she did try them, she couldn’t stop eating. Luz laughed as the two of them stuffed their faces. Her laugh was nice. Amity liked hearing it.

She had to admit, Luz was definitely growing on her.

Even if their first impression hadn’t been the best, Amity found Luz to be charming. She enjoys eating, talking, looking at things, touching things, and so much more. It was as if the whole ‘Harrow’ persona was more of a character to Luz--just an act she put on every once in a while to please another person looking for an outlandish request. The Harrow was creepy, condescending and didn’t care about your feelings at all. At the same time, Luz Noceda was loud, bouncy, and excitable.

Amity had to wonder what led to Luz becoming the Harrow. She only ever brought up the topic once, and Luz had dodged the question and was eerily quiet the rest of the night. Amity was thinking about this on her way to the cabin one day. By the time she had arrived, the sun was nearly set. As she approached the shack, she heard music coming from it. Amity identified it as a piano’s sound. Soon, a singing voice soon followed.

“ _ Come, wayward souls, and wander through the darkness. _

_ There is a light for the lost and the meek. _

_ Sorrow and fear are easily forgotten _

_ When you submit to the soil of the earth.” _

In addition to the rather grim lyrics, the piano that accompanied it was dark. Brooding. The low voice was soon followed by a small choir of children’s voices. Amity wondered why anyone would be singing this sort of song  _ here  _ of all places. Opting to look in through a window instead of opening through the door. The sight inside confused her, to say the least.

A rather large piano sat where the dining table once was. A tall man was currently conducting four children, singing in tune. Three additional people sat in chairs, listening to the ballad, swaying along with the piano. Amity recognized one of the spectators as her Abomination teacher. Her eyes eventually fell to the one playing the piano.

_ Luz. _

Her eyes were closed, and a small smile of contentment framed her face. Slowly, her body rocked from side to side as her fingers danced across the keys. Amity wondered how Luz knew piano. The notes lulled Amity into a sense of stupor, and she found her own body moving in sync with Luz’s. Even with the dark tone of the song, it was rather relaxing. 

Eventually, the concert came to an end. The small audience clapped enthusiastically. The singers took a bow as Luz sat still at the piano, eyes slowly drifting open. She stood up and shook the taller man’s hand as the rest of the group began to leave. Amity could hear a part of the Harrow’s conversation with him.

“Thank you for fulfilling my wish. The children were happy to perform for their parents.” The man’s deep voice resonated inside Amity.  _ This  _ was his wish?

“Thank you for the opportunity, Sir Ferric. I’m sure the children and their parents were glad to finally have a concert.” The Harrow’s voice, though normal in tone, held a hint of exhaustion.

The man, Sir Ferric, nodded, and began to head back into the forest, his business completed. Once Luz was sure they were gone, she glanced in Amity’s direction.

“So, my little Blight, are you going to come out from behind that corner, or am I going to have to come get you?”

Amity blushed at having been caught. She meekly stood up and rounded the corner. Luz stood there with a smug grin on her face. Amity found herself unable to make eye contact with her. Luz’s expression softened. She offered her hand the Amity.

“Shall we go inside, Miss Blight? It’s dreadfully cold out tonight.” Luz’s attempt at a regal voice made Amity laugh. She took Luz’s invitation (and her hand), and the two of them went inside. The piano was in the same place, just a bit too snug for the cabin. At this point, Amity’s curiosity got the better of her.

“So, was that guy here for a wish? What’d he wish for?” Luz groaned and fell into one of the chairs near the fireplace, which glowed a nice shade of yellow tonight.  
“He wanted me to play the piano so the children could perform for their parents. His offer was the piano himself. He told me he wouldn’t need it anymore after this, so he gave it to me.” Luz’s eyes lingered on the flowering embers. “It turns out that his wife, who was supposed to play piano, passed away before they could go through with the concert. He needed to find a replacement fast, which brought him to me. I assume he left me the piano because he’ll soon be joining his wife.”

Amity wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Any words she attempted to say got stuck in her throat. Instead of responding verbally, then, she pushed the other chair next to Luz’s and took her hand as she sat down. As the Harrow looked up at her, Amity offered her a warm smile and summoned her courage. “You did the right thing, even if you don’t feel like you did.”

Luz stared at the fire for a bit longer. “I feel bad about accepting his piano, though. Maybe that piano could’ve gone to his children, or some other place where it would be better off. But instead, it’s stuck here, in this shack that not even that Owl Lady would live in. No one will ever hear me play.”

Amity gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I will.” Her brain then processed the rather romantic subtext of that statement. A blush quickly spread across her face, and she went to draw her hand away. Luz’s grip remained firm, however, and Amity found the Harrow looking into her eyes. Luz’s eyes were pleading to Amity.

“Would you?”

Amity gulped. She nodded.

Luz broke into a beaming smile. She jerked Amity out of the chair and pulled her over to the bench in front of the piano. The keys waited patiently for someone to tap them. Waited to create a melody from them. The piano itself was wondrously crafted, the black having a pristine glow to it.

Despite having just played for numerous strangers, Luz seemed nervous to play. “Sorry, I just, uh… I guess I got butterflies in my stomach, heh.” Her eyes darted to various keys, unsure of where to start.

“That’s okay. Just take a deep breath, and begin whenever you’re ready.” Amity recalled the words once spoken to her by Willow when she was teaching her a short dance. The thoughts caused her to feel somewhat depressed, but she shoved the invading sadness away to make room for Luz and her music. Luz closed her eyes and inhaled. She held the breath for four beats, before exhaling and opening her eyes. Soon, her hands found the black and white of the instrument.

The tune wasn’t anything upbeat, but felt happier than what she’d played earlier. It seemed more mysterious. The notes filled Amity’s ears, echoing throughout her head. The first few notes were calm. Soon, Luz’s voice filled the air, as well.

“ _ Led through the mist _

_ By the milk-light of moon. _

_ All that was lost is revealed. _

_ Our long bygone burdens, _

_ Meer echoes of the spring. _

_ But where have we come? _

_ And where shall we end? _

_ If dreams can’t come true, _

_ Then why not, pretend? _

_ How the gentle wind _

_ Beckons through the leaves, _

_ As autumn colors fall.” _

The piano continued as Luz fell silent. As her hand whirled along the keyboard, she took a second to look at Amity. The witchling had fallen asleep, lulled to a slumber by the gentle sounds of the keys and Luz’s voice. Luz’s eyes were wide open, watching Amity’s body slowly rise and fall in rhythm with her breaths. She felt her face heat up.

The cabin was silent with nothing but the sound of the piano, Luz’s fingers moving without her direction. She smiled slightly.

“Sweet dreams, my little Blight.”

When Amity awoke, she found herself not where she fell asleep. One of the oddly comfortable chairs was reclined backwards, and she was covered in a soft blanket. The gentle sounds of a piano filled the air. Groggily, she sat up and looked around. Luz continued to play a song, though she wasn’t singing. Her eyes fell to the window. The forest was dark, lit only by the moon itself.

Uh oh.  _ Uh oh _ .

Amity shot up from under the blanket. Luz stopped playing and looked over. “Is everything alright?”

Amity’s eyes were wide. “How long was I asleep?!”

Luz’s eyes looked to the ceiling as she thought. “About four hours now.”

Dread washed over Amity like the largest wave on the beach. Her thoughts raced as she pulled up her scroll. It was about as bad as she thought it’d be. Tons of missed calls and texts from her parents and siblings filled the screen.  _ Where are you, mom’s pissed _ , Edric informed her.  _ When are you coming home _ , Emira wondered.  _ Where are you,  _ her dad simply typed.

_ Come home  _ now _ , Amity Blight. _

Her mother’s text.

Her breath staggered. She looked up at Luz. “I need to go  _ now _ , sorry.” Before Luz could say anything, the door nearly flew off its hinges as Amity swung it open. She began rushing through the woods, the  _ thudding  _ of her feet hitting the yellowing grass being the only sound she heard. She soon found that, without the light of the sun to guide her way, she was just as lost as the first time she looked for the Harrow.

Amity picked a random direction and ran, hoping to escape the forest quickly. However, she was less able to focus on avoiding whatever obstacles may be around her as her mother wormed her way into her thoughts. She felt her foot get caught on a root and went down hard. Though she only landed on grass and dirt, Amity’s momentum caused it to deal a lot more damage that she expected. She laid on the ground for a second before the pain kicked in. She felt a small trickle of blood come from her nose. A bruise on her forehead had begun to form. Her ankle was also starting to sprout with pain.

At this point, Amity was terrified. She knew that attempting to walk home at this point would only make her ankle injury worse, but if she didn’t get home now, she’d likely be in a lot of trouble. She then had the idea of calling her siblings to get her. With shaky hands and teary eyes, she summoned her scroll and attempted to call Emira. Before she could complete the call, however, she heard footsteps coming closer to her.

“Amity? Are you still out here?” Luz’s voice was loud and carried throughout the forest. She glanced back and forth, attempting to get a view of Amity. The dark of the thicket did her no favors.

Amity struggled to get the words out of her body. Between trying not to break out into a full-on sob and attempting to keep her breathing steady, it was difficult to speak at all. “Luz, I-I’m over here.” Her voice was thin and quiet. She echoed herself several times, her voice strengthening ever so slightly with each repeat.

Luz suddenly heard Amity calling out to her. Tapping the glyph on her left palm, a small ball of light illuminated the area around her. Soon, she saw the unmistakable green hair of Amity Blight. Quickly, she rushed to the witch’s aid and gasped when she saw the state she was in. Managing to break her state of shock for a few seconds, Luz created several more lights, then grabbed the edge of her hoodie and wiped away at the blood and tears covering Amity’s face, reciting various calming phrases as she cleaned.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I’ll take you back to my cabin. You’ll be safe there. I won’t let anything else hurt you.” Luz affirmed the words in her own head. Even if Amity had gotten hurt simply because of her own clumsiness, Luz was determined to make sure she was okay.

Amity looked at Luz in disbelief. While she wanted to go back to the cozy cabin in the middle of the forest, she knew that if she didn’t get home now, she’d be in trouble when she did arrive at Blight Manor.

“N-no, I…” Amity attempting to talk was a tedious endeavor. “I need t-to go back home, Luz. Please…”

Luz looked into Amity’s eyes. “No. I’m sorry, Amity, but you’re in no condition to get home right now. Your ankle looks pretty swollen, and your nose was bleeding pretty bad. Even if we make it out of the forest, it’s a long way to your house.” She laid her hands on Amity’s shoulders.

“There’s no need to panic. You can go home in the morning. So please, Amity, let me take care of you now.”

Amity didn’t know how to react. For the first time in a very long while, she was being shown genuine kindness. Luz didn’t have any ulterior motives to helping Amity. She was simply doing it to do it. Why? What had Amity done to deserve Luz? 

The gates had opened. Amity couldn’t hold it back anymore. So, she dived into Luz’s open arms and cried. Cried harder than she had for the past four years. She felt Luz’s soft hands on her head, gently running through her hair as she talked in a soothing voice.

“ _ Sshh,  _ it’ll all be okay, my little Blight. You’re going to be okay. Nothing will ever hurt you again, no matter where I am.”

Luz ran as she held Amity back to the cabin. The wind caused Luz’s hair to flow backwards. Looking up at her, Amity noted that her ears were much more round than your average witch.

_ These tears are dulling my sight, it seems. _

Slowly, she drifted into a slumber for the second time that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, this one was a doozy.   
> Hope you all enjoy the new chapter! I really enjoyed writing this one. There's still a lot I want to develop for this story. This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I figured it'd be easier and better for the story to split it into two.  
> inb4 'is that an over the garden wall reference', I had the two songs picked before I started writing this chapter, actually. I'm trying to develop the Harrow and Luz as two separate characters, and the songs might represent them in their own ways.  
> Also, if any of the interactions seem out of character, then that's completely on me. I'm more used to writing about original characters, so this might take some time. Anyway! This is a long note, so I'll end it here.  
> Next time: The twins meet the Harrow, and Luz pretends to be Boscha's cousin.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blight parents hold a party for their anniversary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parties are fun. Would love to go to one some day.

“Amity, dear, what’s your schedule like for the day?” Odalia’s voice rang out.

Amity sighed, knowing that her mother would simply have her cancel any plans she had, anyway. “I’m free for the day, mother. Why?”

It had been three days since Amity injured herself in the Harrow’s forest. Luz took her back to the cabin to rest, and by the time she woke up, she could hardly feel any of the pain. Luz mentioned something about ice helping the swelling go down, but Amity didn’t know how that was supposed to help.

After Amity had awoken, Luz offered to guide her through the forest, but refused to go anywhere beyond it. She wouldn’t give a straight answer as to why, only saying something like ‘I have business to take care of’. Amity decided not to tell Luz that she was a terrible liar.

Once she’d gotten home, Amity was grounded for a day for not adhering to the curfew set in place by the Blight parents. When they inquired as to where Amity was, she told them most of the truth, simply replacing Luz with Boscha in the retelling. Now, here she was, three days later, at Blight Manor.

“Good. We’ll be heading into town to find you a dress for tomorrow night.” Right. Tomorrow was Alador and Odalia’s anniversary, so they were throwing a rather expensive party. All of the rich folks of the Isles were going to be invited, including some people from the Emperor’s Coven. 

Amity groaned internally. “Yes, mother. I’ll go get ready.”

Even if Amity had planned to go to Luz’s today, her mother wouldn’t have cared even if she did have plans. Going up the stairs, she realized she needed to let Luz know that she wouldn’t be visiting tonight. Luz didn’t have a scroll. She said she didn’t understand the ‘new-fangled technology’ of them, whatever  _ that  _ meant. Mail wasn’t an option--she didn’t have an official address. That left only one option. Amity didn’t like it, but she knew that if anyone would come through for her, it’d be the twins.

“Yep. This place is creepy.”

Edric and Emira were currently walking through a forest north of Bonesborough under their sister’s directions. Find the cabin in the woods, and tell the person who lives there that she won’t be able to visit today or tomorrow. 

Despite the twins’ unending bravery and whatnot, Edric had made it clear that he did not like where they were. He kept talking about some rumor about this place that Jerbo had told him. Emira had remained relatively silent as they trudged through the overgrowth, piping up every once in a while to comment on their surroundings. While she wasn’t necessarily  _ scared _ , Emira had to admit that the woods made her feel a very small pit in her bile sac.

Soon enough, the two of them arrived at a small cabin, scarily overdue for renovations. The place looked as if a mildly strong wind would knock it over. The twins looked at each other, communicating in silence. Emira shrugged and walked up to the door. Edric gulped before following. The door creaked open as Emira pushed. The interior of the building was nothing like the exterior. Both of the Blight twins were put off by how elegant everything was. The fireplace was burning with a warming shade of purple. A piano, though large for the room, complimented the overall arrangement. The twins were in awe of the building when they heard a voice.

“I must say, you two are  _ almost  _ my type. Almost.” Edric nearly jumped out of his own skin when he heard the voice. His slight shriek rang in Emira’s ears. As the two of them turned around, they saw a small figure sitting in one of the chairs, head rested on her hand. The twins were in shock as the Harrow continued to speak. “So, what brings two cuties such as yourselves here? What kind of wish do you have for me?”

“Wish? What are you talking about?” Emira was more confused than she’s ever been. Where had this person come from? Did she know that they were coming? Is this the person Amity was talking about?

Edric suddenly realized just what that rumor Jerbo had told him about. “I remember now!” He shouted a bit louder than he should’ve. He gave the Harrow a quick acknowledgement before pulling Emira into a huddle. “That rumor I’d heard! It’s about  _ her _ ! The Harrow! She’ll grant your wish in exchange for something you hold dear!”

As Emira processed that information, everything began to click into place. She and Ed hadn’t been able to find Amity’s diary for a few weeks, now. Amity was smart, but there was no spot she would find that the twins  _ also  _ wouldn’t find. They did catch her reading a book one night that she definitely didn’t have the previous night. There was also the fact that Amity had been going to ‘study sessions’ with Boscha and Skara far more often than she once did. What was this person doing with Amity?

Slowly, the two of them turned around once more to face the Harrow. She still sat in the same pose, eyes half-lidded, a taunting smile strewn across her face. Edric was clearly creeped out by the strange markings covering her skin and her rather arrogant and sinister attitude. As such, Emira was forced to take the lead.

“We, uh, aren’t here to make a wish. We have a message for someone. Their name is...Luz? It’s from our sister, Amity.”

Once Amity’s name was uttered, the Harrow’s condescending nature washed away, revealing a curious child with a now worried expression. “Amity? Is she okay? Did something happen to her?” The twins were barraged by an onslaught of questions. Slowly, Edric came out from behind Emira. The two of them shared a confused look before deciding to give Luz some answers to her questions.

“She’s fine, don’t worry. She just wanted us to tell you that she won’t be able to see you today or tomorrow. Our parents are throwing a party tomorrow for their anniversary, so we’ll all be busy preparing for that.”

Luz allowed herself to relax once the situation was explained. She rubbed her seemingly tired eyes before looking to the twins once more. “So you two are Edric and Emira, I presume?” They nodded. Luz sat down in the chair facing the fireplace, deep in thought. “And you’re certain there’s no way for her to get out of it?”

“Not with our parents,” Edric said. “This is their twentieth anniversary. They’re going to make sure it’s perfect.”

“That means having all of their perfect children there, as well.” Emira shrugged. “Not much we can do about it, sorry.”

The silence that grew between them was uncomfortable, to say the least. Edric and Emira were about to leave when Luz spoke up once more.

“Alright. I have an idea, but I’m going to need your help, Blights.” A mischievous smile expanded on her face. “I’ve never been to a party hosted by such illustrious members of society. Why don’t we knock that off my bucket list?”

The night of Odalia and Alador’s anniversary was a big night at Blight Manor. A large table with a spread to feed a village lined one wall. On the opposite wall, a band of select members played only the most elegant songs. Waiters regularly walked the floor to give guests a refill on any beverages they have. The guests invited were either high-class citizens of the Isles or members of the Emperor’s Coven. Even Lilith Clawthorne, Amity’s teacher, stopped by, if only to say hello and deliver a gift to the Blights. Everything was going smoothly.

Which meant that Amity was bored out of her mind. Meeting all the snooty people trying to force their children onto her was the last thing she wanted. She thought the food was tasteless and dull. She enjoyed getting to catch up with her mentor for a second, and a small (and  _ somewhat  _ harmless) prank made her laugh, but the night was overall uneventful and lifeless.

She wanted to go see Luz. Luz brought her a kind of joy Amity never thought she could feel. Having someone she could just goof around with was something Amity missed from her childhood. As far as her parents were concerned, there was no time for that when you were training to be the best of the best. 

Luz was full of wonder. She was loud, somewhat obnoxious, dramatic, and an incredible delight to be around. Amity found Luz to be a light in her dim life. Once again, her thoughts drifted to the difference between the Harrow and Luz. Did she lose someone important to her, causing the cynical and arrogant personality? Amity was eager to find out, but knew that if she overstepped any boundaries the two of them had set, there may be no going back.

Amity was pulled from her thoughts as Boscha tugged on her arm. “Amity, come here. I have someone you  _ have  _ to meet.” Without waiting for a response, Boscha hauled Amity through the room.

“Wait, what? Who am I meeting?” Amity’s confusion was apparent.

“My cousin! She lived far away for a long time, but she finally was able to come visit! You  _ have  _ to meet her, Ami.”

Upon realizing any protests would fall on deaf ears, Amity trudged along with Boscha to this mysterious person. Boscha had never told her of a cousin before. Maybe she just didn’t know about them? That’d be weird, but it’s plausible.

The two of them eventually arrived at their destination. “There she is!” Boscha pointed towards a girl, her back turned towards the pair. Currently, she was talking to two adults and what Amity could only guess to be their son. Her brown hair was pulled back into a braid, covering her ears. She must’ve said something funny, because the family suddenly broke out into a fit of laughter. Boscha strided up to the girl and tapped her on the shoulder. As she turned around, Amity couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Amity, this is my cousin, Luz. She wanted to meet you.” 

Luz stood before her, dressed in a black tuxedo and the Harrow’s trademark grin on her face. Her eyebrows shot up at Amity’s appearance. “Amity Blight! It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She reached with one of her gloved hands and grabbed Amity’s, bringing it to her lips. Amity felt a jolt of electricity rush up her spine at the touch. Hands still entwined, Luz nodded to the family she was entertaining, along with Boscha, and dragged Amity away from the crowd. Once she was certain they were in the clear, Luz let go of Amity’s hand and burst out into a fit of laughter.

“Oh, man, that was priceless. You should’ve seen your face! It was like--” Luz did a rather accurate interpretation of Amity’s reaction before laughing some more. Amity couldn’t be more bewildered.

“Luz?! I--what are you doing here? How did you even get in here?” Amity’s seemingly infinite questions continued to fly out of her mouth. Luz managed to stop laughing for a little bit to explain.

“I had a little help from your siblings. They’re pretty skilled at what they do, you know?” The two of them looked over at the twins. Edric waves while Emira had her arms folded, smirking. The two of them then high-fived and ran off, only to commit more heinous acts, Amity was sure. She then realized that she and Luz had a bigger problem.

“No, Luz, you don’t get it. You  _ have  _ to leave,  _ now _ . If my parents find out you aren’t who you say you are, then who knows what they’ll do to you?”

As if on cue, the Blight parents approached the couple in the corner. “Amity, dear, how are you enjoying the party?”

Odalia’s voice rang rather painfully in Amity’s head as she cursed herself for effectively summoning her. She turned around, forcing a smile on her face. “It’s beautiful, mother. You two must be very happy right now.”

Alador smiled and put an arm around Odalia’s waist. They looked into each other’s eyes for an uncomfortable amount of time before they turned their attention to Luz. “Now, Amity, who might this be? I don’t think I recognize her.”

Amity let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, uh, father, this is--”

“A pleasure to meet the both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Blight! My name is Luz. I’m Boscha’s cousin.” Luz’s attempt at such a regal and rich voice would’ve made Amity laugh if she wasn’t terrified to her core. “Oh, but where are my manners? Congratulations to you two! Twenty years, now, right? This party really shows off your dedication to each other!”

Alador’s eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t aware Boscha had a cousin.” Amity couldn’t have been more stressed as Luz responded.

“Ah, I expected that. You see, I’ve lived far away for the majority of my life, so Boscha and I haven’t had much time to talk. I was able to move here after my parents, well…” Luz’s face took on a more somber look. “There was a tragic accident, and though everyone assured me they’d be okay, they…” Luz covered her face with her hands, attempting to wipe away fake tears with her gloves.

“Eurgh,” Odalia so intelligently replied. “Amity, please make sure your friend here doesn’t disturb the other guests with... _ that _ .” She then rested her hand on Alador’s shoulder, and the two turned to the dance floor. Amity watched them walk away, full of relief.

She turned around to see that Luz was laughing once more. “So? What do you think? My acting skills are pretty good, huh?” Amity was speechless. The way Luz had handled that situation was rather ingenious. She allowed herself a slight chuckle.

“I guess that was pretty impressive.”

The band had begun playing a much slower song. Amity was ready to leave to her bedroom until Luz held her hand out towards the witchling.

“Well, my little Blight, may I have this dance?”

Unlike the several other times she’d been asked to dance tonight, Amity suddenly felt spiders crawling around in her stomach. She looked from Luz’s hand to her face. Luz gave her a reassuring smile, and Amity’s insecurities practically melted away.

The two of them walked hand in hand to the dance floor, taking a spot a relatively good distance away from Amity’s parents. The two of them stepped in time with the music, seemingly able to read each other's thoughts as they moved. Amity was able to stop focusing on her feet for a second to look up at Luz. She was avoiding eye contact, and Amity was worried she’d done something wrong until she spoke up.

“You, erm, look really good tonight, Amity.” The phrase caused a blush on Amity’s face that extended to her ears. She noticed Luz had a similar shade of pink crossing her own face.

“You, too, Luz. The outfit really suits you.” That got Luz’s attention, and the two of them made eye contact for the first time in the dance. The pair laughed as they continued to sway across the floor.

And for a moment, for the first time that night, Amity wished this moment would never end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loved writing this one, honestly. Also, thanks for over 100 kudos! This is getting way more attention than I thought it would, honestly.  
> This will probably be the only chapter update this week. Hopefully I will have one next week, but I'm entering a very busy point in my life right now: dress rehearsals. Always fun.  
> Next time: Willow and Augustus visit the Harrow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A romantic dinner is interrupted by a harrowing wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see what I did there? :3

When Amity went to visit Luz two days after the party, she found her looking at the empty picture frames lining the wall next to the fireplace. This was the second time she’d caught the Harrow in this act. The first time it happened, Luz was quick to ignore Amity’s comments and moved on from the topic. Today, however, when she saw Luz observing the frames, the fire an ominous shade of gray, a pit opened in her bile sac. Perhaps it was because her bile sac was connected to her heart, but something tugged at that, as well.

As Amity came in, Luz was in a trance. It wasn’t until Amity laid her hand on her shoulder when Luz acknowledged her. She rested her own hand on Amity’s. The two of them observed the frames in a comfortable silence before Luz broke it.

“I had to go to the Human Realm for a wish today.”

Amity remained silent.

“It’s very different from the Boiling Isles. Your life isn’t in constant danger, kids are learning basic subjects like math and history instead of how to see into the future.” Her eyes narrowed. “People are constantly judged, even for things out of their control. Rather cruel, isn’t it?”

Amity wasn’t dumb. She knew how to read between the lines. Luz definitely had some strong feelings about the Human Realm, but  _ why _ ? There was so much about Luz’s life that Amity didn’t know about. Who was she? What created the Harrow? How did Luz get those markings on her skin? Amity had only asked a few of those questions, and Luz always dodged them.

Amity wanted to know more about Luz. She found the feeling hard to describe. The way Luz could go from bouncy to depressed to tired to angry in the span of just thirty seconds, how or why she got to where she is now, and why she seemed to dislike the Human Realm so much where all things Amity wanted to ask.

And yet, Amity was worried that if she overstepped her boundaries, Luz might not let her visit again. She valued the friendship the two of them had developed overtime, and she didn’t want to ruin that. Luz brought something that Amity felt she was missing in life--warmth. Her only ‘friends’ were far more worried about being popular and Grudgby. They weren’t really her friends; not as far as Amity was concerned.

What Amity had with Luz felt real. Genuine. It was like Luz really cared about who Amity was. Not Amity  _ Blight _ , but  _ Amity _ . They goofed around together, ate snacks, read  _ Azura _ , and so much more. Amity herself hadn’t realized it, but the walls she’d spent a large portion of her life building up had slowly begun to whittle away. She realized how mean Boscha and her gang really were, and though she still hung around them, was less involved in their bullying antics. She’d also attempted to  _ really _ talk to Willow, at some point. It hadn’t really gone as planned, but it seemed Willow was somewhat willing to listen to Amity.

After spending a few more minutes of staring at the frames, Luz blinked, seemingly snapped out of a trance. “Well, that’s that.” She looked over to the kitchen half of the cabin. The piano had been moved out (Luz says she found a shrinking glyph and used that), but the original square, wooden table was gone. In its place was a circular table, much more regal than its predecessor. Two chairs are set on opposite ends of the table. A neatly folded tablecloth, several candles, and two sets of silverware, plates and cups sat on top of it, ready to be arranged.

“You mind setting the table, Amity?” While Luz talked, she made her way to the kitchen, preparing several dishes. Amity began arranging the table, first laying out the crimson red tablecloth. She set some of the candles in the center before spreading the rest of them around the table. Finally, the plates and utensils were distributed. Amity wondered where or how Luz would be able to get such fancy tableware.

Once Amity was finished, Luz had her wait outside for a little bit. Amity wondered what Luz could’ve been planning. Clearly, this was something special. Amity was flattered at the thought that Luz would go out of her way to prepare something like this for  _ her _ , of all people. She felt bad when she realized that she’d never brought a gift or  _ anything  _ to return Luz’s kindness. Sure, she’d never  _ asked  _ for anything in return, but that didn’t stop the thoughts from worming their way into Amity’s head.

Five minutes later, Luz opened the door. “Are you ready, Miss Blight?” A goofy smile was spread across her face. Amity returned it.

“Of course, Luz.” When the two of them went back into the cabin, the fireplace was extinguished, the only source of light being the orange embers atop the candles. On the plates was a noodle-like dish, similar to some foods Amity had seen before. A strange box was playing a slow piano song. Amity hadn’t seen anything like it before. Luz’s hand was outstretched towards Amity. As the two of them walked hand in hand to the table, Amity couldn’t help but feel the romantic subtext of this entire scene. She felt her face heat up at the thought. If Luz noticed, she didn’t comment.

Luz pulled Amity’s chair out. As she sat, she did a rather grand introduction. “Ladies and gentlemen, Luzs and Amitys, we welcome you tonight to our fine establishment: “Soul of the Harrow”. For your dinner, we have prepared a meal unlike you’ve seen before. For the entrée, we have  _ cacio e pepe _ , a pasta dish topped with pepper and cheese. For dessert, we will be serving a classic tiramisu. Accompanying tonight’s dinner is Frédéric Chopin with  _ Nocturne _ . We hope you enjoy tonight’s dinner and your company, as well.”

Amity had to giggle. Luz’s dedication to the joke was something to admire. After she poured both of them water, Luz finally sat down, and Amity asked a question that had been nagging at her for a while.

“What’s the special occasion?”

Even though Luz was about ready to disregard all table manners with her dish, she managed to hold herself back as she answered. “Why do I need a reason to treat my favorite person to a fancy dinner?” Amity blushed. “If you  _ must  _ know, of course, then you might recall that tonight marks one month since we first met.”

That surprised Amity. The time they’d spent together went by so fast that it felt like a  _ week  _ instead of a month. She mentally kicked herself for not realizing that sooner. “I can’t believe I forgot. I’m so sorry, Luz.” She felt terrible that Luz had gone through all this to prepare such an elegant dinner, all for Amity to completely forget what time even was. “I should’ve brought you a gift, like a plant or something...but I--”

“Amity, it’s okay, really.” Luz’s voice was gentle, despite her speaking while laughing. Amity could listen to it until she died. “Don’t you ever feel like you owe me anything, because you don’t.” Her hand reached up and grasped Amity’s firmly. “Just having you here is enough of a gift for me.”

If the saying ‘kill them with kindness’ was based on fact (and it was; Amity had known someone to die from it once before), then Amity would’ve needed her casket prepared right there. At this point, there was no way that Luz hadn’t noticed the red creeping on Amity’s face. She was about ready to pass out when Luz spoke up once more, raising her glance.

“To our first month?” Though she asked it as a question, all Luz was asking for was confirmation from Amity. She smiled and raised her own glass. The two of them knocked them together with a satisfying  _ clink _ , and the dinner was underway.

Though the entrée was rather simplistic, Amity found it to be one of the most delicious things Luz had ever cooked. She found it difficult to stop eating whenever Luz would try to strike up a conversation or ask a question. Food nearly spilled out of her mouth when Luz asked for her opinion on the meal, to which Luz threw her head back laughing. In between eating, the two of them talked about nonsensical things, enjoying their dumb opinions on everything.

As the two of them ate, Amity would get lost in Luz’s eyes, listening to her ramble on about random topics. When she caught herself, her face would change to what could only be described as an unhealthy shade of red. Luz never spoke on it, however. Amity wondered if it was because she was polite or just oblivious.

“I got all of this from the Human Realm, as well. The recipes, the tableware, all of it.” Luz spoke up once the two of them had finished dessert. The music had long since stopped playing, yet neither of them had noticed as they talked. It wasn’t until dinner was over that things had gone quiet.

Amity’s mouth had run without thinking. “You really know a lot about the Human Realm. For a witch, anyway.”

Luz froze. She stared blankly into her glass for a solid minute. Amity was about to take that statement back before Luz’s voice returned.

“A witch. Right.” Her voice didn’t have the same cheerfulness as usual. The two of them sat like that for a second before Amity decided she needed to break the tension.

“Remember what you said when I gave you my diary? I think it was the second time I was here.”

Luz looked up from her glass. “That it was boring?”

Amity rolled her eyes. “No, dummy. You said that you took a bit of a liking to me, or something like that.” She recalled the events of their exchange. Luz seemed to be deep in thought, too.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard about it here, but in the Human Realm, there’s something they call ‘love at first sight’.” Amity swore she saw a blush rise on Luz’s face. “The feeling itself is hard to describe… It’s kind of like how when you see a food you’ve never tried before, but you  _ know  _ it’s going to be delicious. Take that principle and apply it to love. You’ve probably never interacted with this person before; you might not even know their name. And yet, you have this feeling that they’re the one for you.”

Luz was right about one thing--they didn’t have a saying like that in the Demon Realm. Love is a sacred thing. With the way Luz described it, Amity couldn’t really understand it. How can you fall in love with someone without even knowing anything about them? It was rather outlandish, to say the least.

It then clicked in Amity’s head what Luz was implying with that statement. “So, then, when you first met me, it was…”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so, heh.” Luz seemed nervous. She  _ felt  _ nervous. She needed to say  _ something  _ to get this feeling out. “You see, where I’m from, I wasn’t really the happiest. People avoided me, bullied me, things like that. I wasn’t welcome there. My mother even sent me to some dumb place where I was supposed to learn how to act like an ‘adult’.” 

Luz looked at Amity, as if searching for confirmation to continue. Amity gave her a slow nod.

“In the end, it didn’t have the desired effect. I didn’t learn how to be an adult, or how to ‘act my age’. Instead, I realized how cynical people can be. The ‘adult world’ is something that’s so glorified, but they make it sound like a living nightmare.

“I resigned myself to this place after I ran away. I figured it’d be better to set up shop somewhere where no one knew who I was. I’m not sure who started spreading the rumor about me, but one day, someone just came to me, asking for help. The fact that they sought out some random person in the middle of the forest for help is… interesting, to say the least.

“I can’t remember what their wish was, or what they gave me, but things just spiraled from there. I created the Harrow to escape from my old life. The Harrow is helpful, insane, oddly trustworthy, and always comes through. That’s what people  _ want  _ others to be. If you’re loud, rowdy, talk fast, or anything else that makes me  _ me _ , then people aren’t going to bother with you.”

Amity’s heart broke as Luz poured hers out. Sure, Amity had been expecting some bit of tragedy in Luz’s past to lead her to where she is now. The girl has glyphs carved into her skin and she lives on her own in the middle of a forest, for crying out loud! Despite that, when she heard Luz’s real story, she felt nothing but sorrow.

“This is why I took such a liking to you, Amity. With a job like mine, you get pretty good at reading people and guessing who they are. So when I saw you enter my forest, I saw a little bit of myself in you. Someone who’s expected to be what other people  _ want  _ you to be. What they expect you to be. Your opinion doesn’t matter--they just want to project themselves onto you. So when I saw myself in you, I felt this indescribable need to protect you, I guess. I don’t want you to go through the same things I did.”

Amity couldn’t bear it anymore. She bolted from her chair and rushed to Luz’s side. She could tell when someone was holding back tears--she’d done a bit of that herself in life. What Luz needed now, more than ever, was someone to tell her that she was fine the way she is. Not the Harrow, but  _ Luz _ .

“Luz, I’m so sorry. No one should ever have to go through something like that. Especially you.” Amity felt her own tears begin to break. “You’re so smart, and fun, and so many other things. I wish the time I spend with you would never end. Anyone who thinks that you’re childish, or immature, or anything like that, is just…  _ wrong _ !”

The two of them shared a look before Luz dived into Amity’s arms. Amity initially froze, but soon reciprocated the favor and hugged her back. She didn’t cry, but Amity could feel her shaking. Amity started running her hands through Luz’s hair. This action seemed to calm her down, as she settled further under Amity’s chin. They stayed in that position for a while longer, Amity wishing the moment would never end.

Eventually, Luz raised herself from Amity’s embrace. She looked into her eyes. Luz’s stare, gentle yet intense, entranced Amity, and only made her blush worse. Luz’s breathing was steady. She took a deep breath and began leaning towards Amity.

Amity had no idea what was happening. Her mind raced as she found her body naturally leaning closer to Luz, as well. Amity could feel the heat radiating off of Luz, only further cementing the idea that Luz was the sun of Amity’s life. Their faces were only an inch apart when the moment was ruined by a knock at the door. Amity blinked, jumping back slightly when her brain processed what was just happening. Luz stood with a disappointed look. “They got here faster than I thought they would…” She’d said it so quietly that Amity wasn’t sure if she was meant to hear that.

“Hello? Is anyone home?” Amity heard the voice of a young boy on the other side of the door. Luz leaned close to her and whispered some instructions.

“Hide around the corner in the hallway. I’ll try to get these people out fast, but it might take a second.” Luz went for the door, then stopped. “Whatever you do, do  _ not  _ go into the room at the end of the hall. If you do, I will know.” Whatever was in that room, Luz was serious about it. Amity nodded frantically, then scrambled to move through the cabin.

Once Amity was hidden, Luz quickly dried her eyes and mentally prepared herself to be the Harrow. It’s not that she didn’t dislike being the Harrow, but when your romantic dinner with your crush is interrupted by some selfish prick, you’re entitled to a  _ little  _ bit of annoyance.

She took a seat at one of the chairs by the fireplace, now glowing a violent red. Needing no more preparations, she tapped a glyph on her left arm, and the door swung open.

“Woah,” the same voice from before exclaimed. Luz heard two sets of feet stepping on the floorboards, slowly yet surely making their way into the building. Two small witchlings, one with green hair, the other with black hair. They both froze when they saw Luz sitting in her chair.

“Welcome, children,” the Harrow sneered. She sounded rather annoyed. Amity could understand that. What she couldn’t understand was why Willow Park and Augustus Porter would be visiting the Harrow in the first place. “What brings you here, to my cabin in the woods?”

Willow gulped, then rested her hand on Augustus’s shoulder. Augustus took a deep breath, then stepped forward.

“We heard a rumor about this place. You’re the Harrow, right? The person who will grant any wish for the right price?”

“That I am.” Luz stood up. Amity noticed she wasn’t being as condescending or smug as she usually was as the Harrow. “What kind of wish would a couple of children such as yourselves wish for?”

“Uh, well, you see, for my wish, I want to, erm…” Augustus seemed nervous. Anyone would be in his situation--Amity wondered how anyone asked the Harrow for a wish. Luz didn’t seem to be as patient as she usually was.

“Spit it out, already. I’m a very busy person, in fact. You two aren’t the only ones coming to me for wishes.”

Willow tugged on Augustus’s elbow. “Come on, Augustus, we should just go. We don’t even know if this will work.”

Despite Willow’s plea, Augustus seemed to work up the courage he needed to ask his wish.

“I want to see a human. A real life human, not the pictures you can find in any book at the library.”

The silence that followed Augustus’s request was deafening. The boy’s wish wasn’t too far fetched for him--Amity knew there was a Human Appreciation Society at Hexside. She was pretty sure Augustus was the president of the club, in fact. Amity peaked out a little further to see why Luz wasn’t responding. She seemed frozen in place, unmoving. Her eyes were just so slightly wider than usual. She seemed stunned in place, as if that question was the only thing in her brain right now.

“Um, Miss Harrow?” Willow’s attempt to break her concentration didn’t work. Amity was about prepared to walk out and see if Luz was alright when the Harrow started laughing. This wasn’t any of the laughs Amity had heard from Luz  _ or  _ the Harrow before. This laugh was ear-piercing. Maniacal. Delirious.  _ Insane.  _ Amity was terrified. Willow and Augustus seemed to feel the same. Amity wasn’t sure if asking Luz if she was alright was going to help at this point. 

The Harrow managed to stop laughing for a second to get a coherent sentence out. “You want to see a human,  _ so bad _ ,” she taunted, “that you’d come to some urban legend in the forest, and give up one of your most prized possessions just to  _ see  _ one?!” Luz stormed over to the kitchen and reached into a drawer. She pulled out a rather large knife. Amity went pale.

“You want to see a human, huh? Well, here you go!”

In one fell swoop, Luz cut off a large portion of her hair. The brown locks slowly fell to the ground, as did the knife. Amity let go a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She was relieved that Luz didn’t do anything drastic. Sure, Amity enjoyed seeing Luz’s hair sway back and forth as she walked--it was hypnotizing, in fact. She was sad that they’d have to wait a long time for it to grow back in.

Her feelings of sorrow were immediately replaced by realization of what Luz just did. Her eyes went to the middle of Luz’s head.

There, on the side of Luz’s beautiful head, was the roundest ear Amity had ever seen. The most  _ human  _ ear she’d ever seen. Amity couldn’t believe her eyes. She rubbed her eyes, believing this  _ had  _ to be some form of illusion. It wasn’t.

Luz was a human.

Luz took a step towards Willow and Augustus. “Well? Now what?! You want to know if I have gills? Or if I secrete venom from my mouth?!” Her questions came out as screams. Amity hated the sound of them. The other two witches didn’t seem very excited about it, either, as they quickly opened the door and rushed out of the cabin before the Harrow could get any closer to them. The door closed with a slam.

As silence crept in the cabin, Luz walked over to the sink. Amity stepped out from the hallway. Luz seemed about ready to throw up. She was leaning over the sink, and Amity could hear gagging sounds. She took a few cautious steps towards Luz.

“Hey, Luz? A-are you okay?” Amity’s voice was filled with hesitance. She really had no idea how to react after that spectacle. She figured that all she could do at this point was comfort Luz and make sure she was okay. Luz, however, wasn’t having any of it.

“Get… Get out…” Luz’s voice was quiet and hoarse. Amity almost missed what she’d said.

“Hey, Luz, it’s fine, we can get through this together, right?” Amity reached up to put a hand on Luz’s shoulder. Before she could, Luz screamed once more.

“I said…  _ GET OUT _ !” As Luz shouted, she slapped Amity’s hand away. A glyph activated on her hand. An icicle shot out from the palm of her hand, stopping just a quarter of an inch away from Amity’s face. Realization hit upon Luz’s face as her eyes widened. For the first time, Amity saw tears in Luz’s eyes. Luz turned around once more and leaned over the sink.

“P-please, Amity, just leave me alone, for now…” Luz’s voice was shaky. Amity was shocked as to what just happened. Whatever issues Luz had with being human, she was  _ not  _ ready to talk about them now. Amity understood that. So, she listened to her friend and, with one last look back, left the cabin.

Though it was dark, Amity found she was able to find her way home relatively fast. Usually, she dreaded coming home to Blight Manor, but tonight, she just wanted the comfort of her bed. Walking through the front doors, Amity saw Edric and Emira sitting in the living room. They looked up as Amity entered.

“Well, hey, Mittens, nice of you to finally join us.” Edric’s sarcasm was the last thing Amity needed right now. “How was your night with the Harrow?”

Amity’s thoughts went back to the night. It had been an emotional night for her. She remembered the various expressions Luz had worn--joy, excitement, contentment, smugness, depression, anger, hatred. Even fear. All of these were things Amity saw on Luz’s face tonight. She only enjoyed seeing half of those. Every time Amity saw Luz cry, or scream, or anything like that, she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, over and over.

With how the night went, Amity could give Edric no response. So, she simply fell to her knees and cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy. What a chapter, amirite? Longest chapter yet, actually. This one was a doozy to write, so I hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter will be out sometime next week, so be looking forward to that. I'm almost done with some school stuff, which will give me so much more time to get some writing done.  
> Next time: Our first chapter from Luz's point of view!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First (and probably only) chapter from Luz's point of view. Exciting!  
> Oh, also, there's some implications of somewhat gruesome harm in this chapter. Nothing too graphic, but I know some people still aren't the biggest fans of that. If you aren't, tread carefully.

Luz was tired. She’d spent the last thirty minutes or so looking in the mirror. Her now short hair taunted her, showing off her round ears. Her human ears. Though she’d fixed the sloppy cut that she’d done the previous night, the damage was irrevocable. She blinked groggily, observing the bags under her eyes.

A wave of frustration flew through her. In an instant, the mirror had been shattered, and Luz was now gripping her hand in pain. She cursed herself for not thinking that through. She hadn’t been herself since last night. Some three-eyed witch had come in asking for a wish, but Luz turned her away, claiming that the Harrow was dead. In a way, she was.

As far as she was concerned, the Harrow is dead. Finished. Luz didn’t have the energy to keep this up. She wondered how she was able to do it for eight months. No more wishes. No more payment. Her mind wandered to the piano she had shrunk and put away. The man who’d given it to her--she’d forgotten his name--was probably dead at this point. Why did she keep it? Luz didn’t have the answer.

After she patched up her hand, Luz crashed onto one of the chairs by the fireplace. The fire was its normal color. She stared up at the ceiling, wanting nothing but to forget where she was. To be forgotten. As she drifted into a slumber for the third time that day, Luz dreamt of how she’d arrived at the Boiling Isles.

_ Reality Check summer camp. “Think inside the box!” Luz had spent the last three months there, learning how to be anything. Anyone. Anyone but herself. _

_ She hated that prospect. Even though she respected the work her mother did, along with the work of the teachers at school and any other adults she knew, they were in a different world than her. A world where she couldn’t be herself. Why was it so bad to be abnormal? Some people treat diverging from the norm as one of the seven deadly sins. Sure,  _ maybe  _ the spider breath and the snakes had been a bit dangerous, but Luz needed to express herself. How else is a young teen supposed to do that? _

_ Luz sighed, sitting up on her bed. She was tired, but couldn’t seem to fall asleep. The nihilistic thoughts running through her head had kept her awake for too long, in her opinion. So she picked up her favorite book-- _ The Good Witch Azura _ , obviously--and began reading. This had been her favorite book ever since she was a kid. She always wanted to get sucked into the fantasy world of witches and magic. That feeling was only stronger, now. Luz had pretty much lost all hope for this world, thanks to the bullies, adults, and all the other people who tried to put labels on her. _

_ It was her lucky day, apparently. _

_ As she sat in her dark room, using nothing but the moonlight to read, Luz heard something of a crackling sound. Like fireworks. She looked up from her book. There was nothing. She shrugged and blamed it on her active imagination. The crackling sound came again. It was soon followed by a brilliant flash of light, blinding Luz. As her eyes got used to the sudden brightness, she opened them. In the middle of her room sat a glowing mass of energy. Luz stared in awe. There was only one word to describe what was standing before her. _

_ It was a portal. The swirling pattern moved hypnotically as Luz stared into it. What the hell was happening here? Why did some random portal open up in Luz’s room? Did  _ she  _ do this? She couldn’t have. Unless something had happened to the book since the last time she’d read it. Luz was far too busy examining the book for any traces of magic that she failed to notice the tall figure step through the portal. _

_ Luz finally closed the book and looked up. An abnormally tall and pale person stood there, gripping a white staff. Her blue hair flowed down below her back, and her expression was completely unreadable. Luz’s eyes were wider than they’d ever been before. She blinked twice. _

_ “Uh, can I help you, mysterious stranger appearing with a flash of light in my bedroom?” Her voice came out shaky and uneven. The woman standing there narrowed her eyes. _

_ “You are a human, correct?” Luz had to wonder what kind of question that was.  _ I mean, duh,  _ is what she wanted to say. Unfortunately, the words refused to come out, so all Luz could do was nod her head. The woman nodded, as well. _

_ “Perfect. My name is Lilith Clawthorne. I’d like you to come with me, please.” Her voice was gentle, yet stern, like a teacher. She held a hand out towards Luz, who was still gripping her book fiercely. _

_ Luz weighed her options. On the one hand, this was exactly how many other ‘missing children’ stories began. Some random person comes up to them and asks them to come with them. Because kids are, well,  _ kids _ , they’ll just blindly follow the adult. On the other hand, it’s not like anything was waiting for Luz out in the world. Maybe her mother. Her mother who didn’t understand that Luz was just who she was and couldn’t (and  _ shouldn’t)  _ be forced to change. The only thing that changed in Luz’s heart was her optimism. _

_ “Alright, I’ll come with you.” She stepped down from her bed and approached Lilith, her  _ Azura  _ book still in hand. Lilith offered a warm smile. _

_ “I appreciate you coming with me, human. I promise that you’ll be a big help to everyone.” Luz wasn’t sure what that meant, but she didn’t really care at this point. _

Her eyes drifted open when a ray of light crossed her eyes. _ That same dream again.  _ The fire had long since stopped burning, and the cabin was chilly without its warmth. Luz rubbed her eyes. She sat up and stretched. As she turned around, her vision fell on the arranged table from last night. Her thoughts turned to Amity. The dinner they’d shared. How Luz had poured her heart out to Amity.

How she’d almost kissed Amity…

_ "It’s too late for you now. Our little Blight knows our secret. Any chances of  _ that  _ happening again are gone." _

Luz recognized that voice in her head. Even if she wanted to stop being the Harrow, that nihilistic and cynical voice in her head may never leave.

“No. Amity can see past my biology. She only left last night because we asked her to.” Anyone walking in would see Luz having a conversation with herself.

_ “She left because she was frightened. You remember what you did. You nearly impaled her. Why would she come back after that?”  _ The Harrow was talking. Her voice was no longer inside Luz’s head.

“She saw me freaking out. She saw me handle some big knife without care. Of course she’d be scared. She was worried I’d get hurt.”

_ “Then what was that look on her face? I’m pretty sure that icicle was less than an inch away from her eye.” _

“I-I would never--”

_ “Yet you did. You overreacted to some brat’s wish, and now _ I  _ have to pay the price. You ruined our chances of finding some semblance of happiness in this cursed wasteland because you’ve been lying to yourself. Lying to Amity. This is all…” _

“Stop it.”

_ “Your…” _

“You’re no one. Just some stupid personality I came up with to appease those who wanted me to grow up. You have no power over me.”

_ “Fault.” _

Luz saw red. “I said… STOP IT!”

With a wave of her hand, a blazing concentration of fire went flying through the cabin. It slammed into the wall covered in picture frames. Luz gasped when she heard one of them fall to the ground. Gaining control of herself once more, she rushed over and fell to her knees to examine it. Though the glass had been undamaged, the magic of the frame itself had taken the brunt of the fireball, causing it to dissipate. Slowly, the hidden picture within it came into vision.

Luz stood happily. The hood of her cat hoodie was up, cat ears standing proud. Beside her stood a taller woman of the same skin tone as Luz. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and a small pair of glasses framed her eyes. She was smiling down at Luz, one hand at her side, the other on Luz’s head. Tears threatened to break past her eyes as Luz looked up at the rest of the frames. With a wave of her hand, the invisible pictures within them appeared. Some of them were Luz with the same woman, and others had just the woman in frame.

“Mom… I’m so sorry…” Luz couldn’t hold it back anymore. She began sobbing uncontrollably, her entire body shaking from the chill and her feelings. “I’m sorry I left you. I’m sorry that I made a friend, like you wanted me to, and drove them away because of my own insecurities.” Luz’s crying was the only sound in the cabin. She wasn’t sure how long she’d sat there, clutching the picture of her mother to her chest as tears fell. She knew she could never go back to the Human Realm, back to her mother. Everything was different now. All Luz could do was try to make things better here.

And that started with a visit to the Emperor.

_ “Look at you, Luz. Already a master of flames and ice. Soon, you’ll be the strongest witch of all. Just as you were meant to be, chosen one.” Belos’s voice was anything but sincere. He didn’t really mean anything he said about Luz being the chosen one; she’d realized that three weeks into her training. _

_ Lilith had brought Luz to the Demon Realm because Belos wanted to know if it was possible for humans to do magic. Though it was painfully obvious that she had no natural talent for it, Belos had expected as such and knew what to do. The glyphs he’d spent years researching were the key. Any material with a glyph on it could activate the magic within the rune when Luz tapped on it. _

_ Soon, Luz’s training got to a point where the paper wasn’t cutting it for the glyphs. Each piece of paper was consumed when Luz activated the glyph, so Belos’s focus shifted to finding a material that wouldn’t be consumed at all. It wasn’t long until Belos had the idea to carve the glyphs into Luz’s skin. Oddly enough, it worked. With each tap of a glyph, Luz could invoke the magic within. Though the glyphs remained on her body when she tapped them, Luz felt an indescribable pain with every use. She wanted to stop. Belos didn’t want her to. So, she had to keep training. _

_ It got to a point where Luz wasn’t just feeling physical pain. She wanted to get out of this place. To go live in some cabin in the woods where she wouldn’t have to appeal to everyone’s needs at their convenience. _

_ On occasion, Luz would hear a voice in her head, planting ideas in her thoughts. The voice reminded her of her own, but with a hint of hatred in it.  _ Her  _ hatred. _

_ “Why not raise some hell and get out of here while everything’s in chaos? They won’t listen to our words. Sometimes, you have to force people to listen to you.” The harrowing voice was loud within Luz’s mind. But she knew the truth. _

_ “I’m not strong enough. These people have been training for far longer than me. I’m nowhere near their level.” _

_ “What do you mean?” The voice sounded like it would be smiling if it could. “Of  _ course  _ you’re strong enough. After all,” Luz begged the voice not to say it, but her pleas fell in her throat. _

_ “You’re the chosen one.” _

_ Soon enough, Belos’s castle had seen more destruction in one night than it had in the past fifty years. A deal was struck, and Luz walked away from it all a free human. _

Luz walked through the woods carefully, one step at a time. She couldn’t remember the last time she really walked through this place.

_ Wait, yes I can. It was the night after Amity hurt herself. I guided her to the edge of the forest, right?  _ Luz smiled at the thought.  _ I want to see her again.  _ At this point, all Luz wanted to do was charge straight into Blight Manor and take Amity Blight with her. Luz shook her head, knowing that Amity would have to wait. If she wanted to mend her relationship with the witch, then Luz would have to fix her own problems first.

As Luz came to the edge of the forest, she took a deep breath. The view of the town was rather beautiful, if it weren’t for the looming intimidation of the castle. She was dreading this decision, and a part of her brain wanted to just walk right back to her cabin and stay there for the rest of her life.

She looked down, and saw the edge of a circle. A spell circle. When she’d first arrived here, she drew the circle around the entire forest, marking it as her own. So long as the circle was intact, Luz would be aware of anyone who entered the woods. That was one of the things that made the Harrow so creepy. She always knew who was around, and knew exactly where they were.

But the Harrow was no more. And since Luz had no use for the circle, she knew what she had to do. She kicked the subtle drawing in the grass away, and the magic faded. Luz felt like a weight had just been taken off her shoulders. She looked to the castle once more.

With no other reasons to delay her trip, Luz began the journey, one hesitant step at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard for me to write in multiple ways. I was struggling with writer's block for a little bit, so I worked on this in bits at a time. As a result of that, this chapter might seem a little rushed in spots. For that, I apologize.  
> I also changed Luz's backstory several times in writing, and I'm still not entirely sure if I'm 100% satisfied, if I ever will be.  
> Side note: check out my other Owl House story, Avatar: Light the Dark! It's an avatar au featuring Avatar Luz, and will be a much more long-winded story than this one probably.  
> Next time: Amity makes her own decision.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity and the twins have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is long overdue.

Amity wasn’t sure how to feel about the… interesting development from last night. To discover that the Harrow--that  _ Luz  _ was a human wasn’t something she’d expected to find out last night. It had been an emotional roller coaster as the two of them went from a romantic dinner to tragic backstories to complete mental breakdowns.

So. She’s a human. The person Amity had admittedly been crushing on for the past three weeks was a human. That’s… fine, right? Is there really anything  _ wrong  _ with being friends with a human? That question came up frequently as Amity recovered from last night. The reveal had explained a lot of things; why Luz was using those glyphs, why she knew so much about the Human Realm, and, after some careful thinking, why Amity had been drawn to her in the first place. It’s only natural for a witch to be interested in what she didn’t know about. Humans apply to that, right?

...Right?

Currently, Amity was sitting in her room, going over notes for an upcoming Abomination test. Of course, she wasn’t able to focus on it one bit, because the night before was playing on repeat in her head, over and over. Even though the dinner resembled various gatherings Amity had been forced to attend by her parents, it held a very different meaning to it. The food was delicious, the music was nice, and Luz was beautiful--

_ T-the  _ music  _ was beautiful, and  _ Luz  _ was nice! Right?  _ Amity really had no clue. Her thoughts had begun to overlap--she couldn’t make sense of any of them. She instead grabbed whatever journal or notebook was closest to her and opened it to somewhere in the middle. A blank page stared at her, practically pleading to be filled with important information, lessons and notes instead of what Amity was about to do.

Doodles soon filled several pages as Amity’s pencil practically moved on auto-pilot. Several were of Luz, or things that reminded Amity of her. One was of the two of them sitting at a piano, musical notes floating around them. She let out a sigh, wishing that the two of them could go back to the way things were.  _ I doubt we’d be able to… _

“Uh oh, someone’s feeling a little lovesick,” Edric said from the doorway. Amity jumped and quickly shoved her notebook away. Edric and Emira were currently standing just inside her room, wearing their trademark twin smug smiles. A blush rose to Amity’s cheeks.

“N-no I’m not! And what do you two care? Get out!” Amity grabbed whatever object was closest to her and lobbed it at the pair. Of course, it came nowhere close to hitting either twin. Emira’s grin grew wider.

“Aw, Mittens, is that any way to treat your beloved siblings?” Tentatively, the two of them entered Amity’s room, one step at a time. Though she still hadn’t invited either of them in, Amity appreciated their apprehension, as though each step was meant to ask if it was alright to come in. She sat back in her chair and sighed.

“So what do the two of you want? You never come in here just to talk.” Their history of tricks, pranks and whatever else the two illusionists do was enough to justify Amity’s skepticism. Her suspicions, however, began to diminish when the twins’ smiles faded, instead being replaced by more somber expressions.

“Look, we know we aren’t always the best at being…  _ siblings _ ,” Edric began.

“But we want you to know that we do worry about you.” Emira gently placed one of her hands on Amity’s shoulder. “We know that the time you spend with Luz is private, but you were clearly distraught by something yesterday. We want to know if there’s any way we can help you.”

Ed nodded along. “We can’t do anything to help, though, unless you tell us what happened.” His point was valid--when Amity had come home that night, after crying for a solid ten minutes, she simply went up to her room and passed out, saying nothing of the night she’d gone through. She thinks back on the evening and summons her courage to tell her siblings what had transpired.

In Amity’s opinion, her telling of the story doesn’t really do the dinner justice. She recalled it having such an effect that it could even rival a formal dinner with the Blight parents. Amity’s description, however, made it sound more like a dinner you’d have at any random ‘fancy’ restaurant in town. Though she told the twins that Luz had gone into detail about her backstory, she didn’t relate any of it back to them (or the part that involves the two of them almost… well...). Then there was the bit about Willow and Augustus, and then Luz turning out to be a human... Amity felt it was best to not tell her siblings about almost being stuck on an icicle.

“Now, here I am, with the evening on my mind, and absolutely  _ no  _ idea what to do.” Amity felt almost helpless. Would Luz want to talk to her after last night? Luz had seemed almost...  _ ashamed  _ of being a human. As if that one fact would turn Amity away in disgust. Truth be told, it didn’t. Amity knew what it was like to have her life dictated by what she was born as--a  _ Blight _ . Despite Amity’s shortcomings due to her upbringing, she realizes that there’s more to a person than what they’re made of.

Emira pondered Amity’s dilemma. She noted that Edric seemed deep in thought, as well. The two of them had only ever interacted with Luz once, and though it wasn’t for long, they saw Luz for what she was--a kid. Wild curiosity, a mischievous side, everything else that made children  _ children _ . Not only that, but on the occasion that Amity would tell them about her day with Luz, the twins could easily see just what the human did for Amity. She seemed happier lately. With that in mind, Emira decided to ask her younger sister a simple question.

“Well, what’s changed, then?” Amity looked up at her like she’d just asked why she couldn’t fly. “What I mean is, does her being a human change anything about Luz? About the two of you?”

The question spun around in Amity’s head for a second. “I-I guess not, but, well…” She truly struggled to figure out anything wrong with Luz being a human. The only bad thing she could really think of was some people probably wouldn’t be happy with a Blight associating with some weak human, her parents included, but that felt inconsequential compared to the pros of having Luz in her life.

“Then that settles it.” Edric put a hand on Amity’s shoulder. “Tomorrow, you’ll go back to Luz’s house, and the two of you can sort this out. Easy as a fireball.” The analogy wasn’t the best, considering Amity needed to use a rather advanced training wand to learn the fireball spell her siblings taught her, but she understood where Edric was coming from. Though, there was one thing that Amity didn’t understand.

“I get what you mean,” she told him, “but why tomorrow? Wouldn’t it be better to visit her today?” The twins shared a glance, as if they knew something that Amity was also supposed to know.

“Look, Am--people deal with this kind of situation in different ways.” Emira thought for a second before continuing. “And while you’ve known Luz for way longer than us, we can still tell that she’s a little…  _ impulsive _ , for lack of a better word.” She grinned slightly at the mean look Amity sent her. “Not to say that’s a bad thing, but impulsiveness can lead anyone to do some pretty bad stuff. For example, remember what you told us about when you first met her? How she destroyed a chair at just the mentioning of the Human Realm?” Amity nodded, and also thought about how she’d just suddenly made a plan to sneak into Blight Manor that night. There was the ice last night, as well.

“So what you’re saying is I should give her some time to clear her thoughts.” Amity looked to her siblings for confirmation. Emira nodded, and Edric’s smile grew.

“There you go. I always knew you were smart, Mittens.” Amity’s first instinct was to burn Edric for the nickname, but instead, she smiled back and hugged them both, grateful for their advice. They stayed in a motionless pile for a while before Emira and Edric left to leave Amity to her thoughts. She did still have much to think about. She also had a test to study for. However, once she sat down to look through her notes, she found she was able to focus completely on the words written down. The thoughts about Luz in her head now felt encouraging, just like before last night.

It was strange, Amity thought, how after just one small talk with her annoying siblings, Amity was back to how she was. Just ten minutes earlier, she was dreading every passing moment of the day, knowing that she’d just be unable to think clearly about anything.

Now, once again, knowing she’d be able to see Luz, Amity couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! One may notice that it seems a lot shorter than the previous chapters. That's because it is.  
> Honestly, I feel that this chapter could've been better. But midterms hit me like a truck and I couldn't find the energy to write with my heart. I still think that it's a relatively good chapter, and spreads something of a good message. So, here ya go, thank you for reading.  
> Next time: The big finale!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The grand conclusion!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go.

There was once a time where Luz was intimidated by the sheer presence of Belos’s castle. Seeing the looming tower only grow bigger as she approached would send a chill down her spine. It made her uncomfortable, but that was a necessary feeling. That’s what she told herself, anyway.

The deal Luz had struck with Belos following her escape was rather simple. She could come to the castle at any point in time to use his portal to the Human Realm, no explanation needed. In return, she’d be subjected to a few hours of ‘research’, as the tyrant called it. Luz wasn’t sure why he needed her, specifically--the other people the coven had kidnapped from the Human Realm were more than capable of providing the same results. Perhaps it was because none of them ever showed the same prowess as Luz when it came to magic. Or maybe they weren’t as happy with landing in this fantastical world with more possibilities for hope than Earth had ever known.

Luz figured she didn’t want to know.

Just like her previous visits, the gates of the castle opened as she stepped close. The guards were always alerted the moment anyone stepped near the castle. When it came to Luz, she was to be granted entry no matter what. It’s more than likely this is because of what happened the last time Luz was denied anything. She scared the guards, to say the least.

Lilith Clawthorne was the first face Luz saw when the doors opened. She observed Luz with a tired face, though she managed to maintain her regal appearance. She gave Luz a regarding nod. “Welcome to the castle, Luz. We haven’t seen you here this often for a long time. Shall I show you to the portal?”

Luz shook her head. “No, Lilith. I’m here for a different reason today.” She looked around. Several other people were in the hall, going about their business. Luz noticed some of them whispering as they glanced back at her. She seemed to put the people around her on edge. “I’d like you to take me to Emperor Belos today.”

It was almost impossible to notice the way Lilith had tensed at the mentioning of Belos. Luz, however, had become better at noticing the subtle body language some people had. Belos must not be in the best mood today.

Not like she cared.

It took Lilith a second to begin moving again. “Er, are you sure? If you’re not using the portal today, then perhaps you could assist us with some tests, or give a demonstration to the other humans. Maybe even a mock witches duel with the-”

“Lilith, I need to speak with Belos. You will take me to him  _ now _ .” Luz rolled up one of her sleeves, showing off more of the glyphs engraved into her skin. Lilith flinched slightly, but it was apparent that Luz wasn’t really going to follow through with her threat. Despite that, Lilith nodded warily.

“O-of course, Luz. Right this way.”

The walk through the castle was filled with nothing but silence between the two. The various staff and other people populating the building would glance in their direction before quickly looking away when they knew that the Harrow’s eyes were upon them. Luz wanted to tell them that the Harrow was no more, that she was currently suppressing that feeling.

After that night, however, the Harrow was all the people of the Emperor’s Coven knew when they gazed upon Luz and her glyphs--no, her scars. Luz really had no one to blame for that but herself. In her defense, however, having her train with the strongest witches around probably wasn’t the best idea when she had something she was really fighting for.

Among the scenes one could find in the castle, the throne room was one of the few that would still make Luz gaze upon it in awe. She’s only seen it once or twice before. Built on the very chest of the Titan, Luz had learned, the supposed heart stood ominously behind the one person Luz wanted to talk to today.

Belos, however, seemed in no mood to talk today. He held his masked face in one hand, propped up by its elbow on his chair. He drew in deep, raggedy breaths as if he was struggling to breathe. A guard soon came rushing out of a side door, holding a platter in his hands. He sprinted to the Emperor’s side. He unveiled the platter to reveal a small, wooden carving of a dragon. Immediately, Belos snatched it from the plate and dug his finger into the wood. He carved a large cut around it, opening the carving. A green fluid flowed out of it as Belos held it over his face, allowing it to drip into his eyes.

_ That was… disgusting.  _ Luz shuddered to imagine what that must feel like.

Belos let out a sigh before straightening up. However, it wasn’t long before he heaved once more. He cast aside the now empty palisman and slammed his fist on his throne.

“I… Need another… Bring me another…” The guard next to him nodded frantically and soon ran off, looking to find another palisman. Belos slowly set his gaze upon Luz and Lilith. He waved a hand towards Lilith, who nodded before exiting the room. He looked towards Luz.

“Luz Noceda. It’s nice to see you again. Forgive me for my exhaustion, I’ve been rather busy as of late. As have you, if I’m correct.” Luz narrowed her eyes, but wasn’t surprised. Belos had this inexplicable way to just  _ know _ . It didn’t matter what it was. In fact, Luz was pretty sure that the Emperor could write an entire book on Luz’s life here in the Isles.

“I have.” She knew how to hold a conversation with Belos--he enjoyed talking, especially to those he believed were below him. With Luz, however, he wasn’t so sure, ever since that night.

“So what brings you to me today? Normally it’s Lilith who takes you to the portal, correct? Perhaps you need something for that little cabin of yours?” At this point, the guard with the silver platter had returned, but was moving much slower, now that Belos was in the middle of a conversation.

Luz took a deep breath.  _ No turning back now, right? _

“Emperor Belos, I’m here to tell you that I’m severing our arrangement.”

Belos hummed as he carved into the second palisman brough to him; a snail. “Is there a point to this, Luz? What makes you think I’ll even let you do that? Perhaps I’ll keep you trapped here until you die of old age.” He stopped speaking to let the palisman’s magic fall into his mask. Luz used this opportunity to talk.

“Two reasons. One, because I have ways of making you cooperate with me,” she rolled up her sleeves, “and two, because I have another deal in mind.”

As Belos let out a sigh of relief with the palisman’s magic now his, he sat up straighter. He seemed a bit more intimidating, being even taller than the already tall witches on the Boiling Isles. Luz refused to let his being scare her. He chuckled slightly.

“Now now, human, there’s no point in violence. You say you have another deal? I’m intrigued.” He leaned forward slightly. Luz took a deep breath. It was now or never.

_ You can still back out, you know.  _ Ugh. Of course that voice pops up at the worst possible moment. The last thing Luz needs right now is to have a panic attack in front of Belos.

“Here’s what will happen. You’re going to get rid of all the glyphs that you and your coven engraved into my skin. Every single one of them. In return,” Luz paused, her voice shaking.

_ You’re making a mistake here, Luz. _

“I-I’ll…”

_ You’re throwing away everything we worked towards. Do you really want our entire life to end in such a ridiculous way? _

“I won’t be allowed to use the portal to the Human Realm ever again. No matter what.”

The voice had suddenly gone silent. That was more unnerving to Luz than when it would fill her head with horrible ideas. Belos had also gone quiet, for that matter. He seemed to be quietly observing Luz. An uncomfortable amount of time passed before the tyrant chuckled.

“I must say, human, this seems rather… out of character, for you.” He cocked his head to the side curiously. “That’s honestly the last thing I’d expect to hear from you. Is this really the same human that nearly destroyed my entire castle all those months ago? Whatever happened to… oh, what was the name again?”

Luz narrowed her eyes. “You know my name, witch. It’s Luz. Luz Noceda.” Naturally, Belos did know her name. Luz saying it out loud felt more like a reminder to herself than to him.

Belos hummed. “No, I seem to recall you’ve been going by an alias lately. ‘The Harrow’, was it? Yes, I believe that’s correct.” The witch stood, his presence rather imposing. He took a few steps towards Luz. “It wasn’t this ‘Luz’ that contested against me for her freedom. It was the Harrow. Where could  _ she  _ be?”

Luz felt a chill go down her spine. “The H-Harrow is dead. I made sure of that myself. I’d appreciate it if you would acknowledge that.”

“I don’t think so, dear human. The Harrow feels very much alive. Why don’t you bring her out?”

_ To hell with it, Luz! If you claim that I’m dead anyway, why don’t you take me out with a bang? This guy isn’t going to listen to reason. _

“Are you sure you want me to?” Luz faced Belos with a fierce look. The human was sure that, under his mask, he must’ve been smiling.

_ There is one thing that he’ll listen to. That  _ all  _ the witches here will listen to. _

“If you do, then I’m willing to consider this new proposition you’ve brought to me.”

_ Let’s make the most of our last moment together, Luz Noceda.  _ Luz felt a smile creep across her face.

“Deal.”

Amity had decided to go to Luz’s home that night. She told her parents that she was having a sleepover with Boscha and their group, and the twins were supportive enough to cover for her. She wasn’t sure if Luz would be willing to see her after what happened the previous evening, but if she wanted Luz to know that she hadn’t been greatly affected by their revelation, she’d need to be persistent.

The closer Amity got to the cabin, the worse the feeling of stomach spiders got. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say tonight. She’d wanted to rehearse something beforehand, something to at least get her feelings out of the way, but Emira told her that it wouldn’t be natural if she just went over lines. That was a good point, but Amity wasn’t about to fuel her sister’s ego any more than it has been.

A lull of quiet piano had been growing louder as Amity walked. She wondered if that was Luz playing the piano, or if it was that strange artifact she called a ‘phonograph’ that could somehow make music out of nothing. Was that from the Human Realm, as well? The tune was calming, and Amity could feel her tense muscles slightly relax once she heard it. 

Unlike most times when Amity would visit, the door remained closed. She was so used to it opening on its own that she almost ran straight into it. A knock warranted no response, other than a shuffling of feet and the sudden stop in music. Amity then heard something thump against the other side of the door. Eventually, the door opened.

Amity crept into the cabin. Currently, there was no sign of Luz. The piano was sitting rather snug in the room. The fireplace held the normal, orange shade of fire--this was the first time Amity had seen it like that, actually. Usually, the color of the inferno held some resemblance to Luz’s mood. She had no idea what a regular fire was supposed to mean.

“Luz? Are you here?” There was silence for a few seconds before Amity heard anything but her own breathing. It was quiet, and she almost missed it, but from another room, Amity heard it.

“Amity? Is that you?” Amity was about to turn the cabin upside down to find where Luz was before there was a creaking sound. Luz soon appeared from the hallway, and Amity’s breath caught in her throat.

Luz’s now short hair was rather disheveled. Her signature hoodie and jeans seemed more dirty than usual. Amity wasn’t sure, but she felt like she could make out a bruise on Luz’s cheek. Of course, that all stopped mattering when Amity noticed the biggest change Luz had gone through.

The glyphs that were once etched into Luz’s skin were gone. Amity couldn’t see a single trace of them left. No blood, no scars, nothing.

Luz gave a seemingly tired smile. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. I would’ve cleaned up better.” None of that mattered to Amity, though, who was already rushing towards Luz. She pulled the human into a hug, knocking the air out of her. Luz froze for a second before hugging her back, burying herself deeply into the crook of Amity’s neck. “I… I wasn’t sure you’d come back a-after what I did to you. After you learned w-what I am.” Luz was close to sobbing, and she could already feel tears falling. “Dear god, Amity, I’m so sorry. I can’t b-believe I almost--”

Amity ran her hand along Luz’s back, comforting the young girl. She found she wasn’t able to say anything, but hopefully her message was understood.  _ You don’t need to apologize for anything. It’s not your fault. _

The two of them remained like that for a while before Luz reluctantly pulled away. Amity took a chance with her next words. “So… what happened to the, erm…” She motioned to her own arms, hoping Luz got what she meant. Luz looked down at her own arms.

“I’ll tell you everything in a second. But, first, I want to show you something.” Luz grabbed her hand and guided Amity through the hallway, and the two arrived before a door. Amity presumed this was the room Luz had warned her against entering last night.

“Luz, you don’t have to show me if you don’t want to.” She gave Luz’s hand a gentle squeeze, who reciprocated with her own.

“I know. I just--I feel like you deserve to know.” She reached a shaky hand towards the doorknob and slowly opened it. The door creaked open, as though it hadn’t even moved in years. Luz then stepped to the side to let Amity enter first.

On the other side of the door was what Amity could only describe as a little girl’s room. There was a bed in the corner, decorated with brightly-colored sheets. Coloring the walls were several posters with characters on them. Amity recognized them as the leading characters of  _ The Good Witch Azura _ . There was a bookshelf with various statuettes, novels, comic books, and much more on the wall opposite of the bed. Her mouth hung open in slight surprise as Luz talked.

“This was what my room in the Human Realm looked like. Well, it’s about as accurate as I could make it, anyway.” After standing there for a few minutes longer, Luz led Amity back to the main room, where she showed her the pictures of her mother. “This is my mamá. She’s a nurse. She loved me, but I don’t think she really understood me. She sent me to this summer camp to try and make me into an adult.” She looked down to her feet. “That worked about as well as it would’ve.”

Luz then told Amity the whole story. Reality Check summer camp creating the basis of the Harrow. Her arrival on the Boiling Isles. The experiments. Her escape. All of it. Amity went through a whirlwind of emotions as Luz told her story, but couldn’t bring herself to interrupt. Instead, she simply held Luz’s hand, feeling her grip tighten whenever she got to a tougher point in the story.  
“I can’t go back to the Human Realm, is what I’ve decided. There’s nothing for me there. But here,” she made a broad gesture with her free arm, “there’s so much. People I want to meet, creatures I want to see, magic I want to do. It was all I ever wanted in life.” She looked at Amity with that tired look that pained the witch. “And the moment my greatest wish comes to reality, it feels like it’s tainted forever. Even with my scars healed, even with the Harrow’s voice growing quieter, it may not ever live up to what I wanted it to be.”

Amity wasn’t really sure how to respond to that. She found that Luz often had that effect on her. The two of them sat in an oddly comfortable silence before Amity figured out what she wanted to say.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that. I… I understand what it’s like to be amazed by something at one point, only to have it ruined for you later.” She faced Luz directly, their eyes connecting. “But you’re still young. You still have your whole life ahead of you. You can take back the wonder that was stolen from you.” Amity took a deep breath. “And you don’t have to do it alone. Because, whether or not you’re a human, or witch, or the Harrow, or Luz, I’ll stand beside you for every step of the way.”

The two of them stayed in that position for a little bit before Amity suddenly felt Luz crash into her, their lips connecting. She let out a squeak before melting into the kiss, feeling like she was on cloud nine. She held Luz’s head, her fingers running through the human’s soft hair. She felt Luz’s warm hands on her cheeks. They remained like that until Amity realized that Luz was crying. They broke apart, and Amity was afraid she’d done something wrong until she saw Luz’s smile.

“A-A-Amity, t-thank you so m-much…” She was barely able to get anything out, instead opting to hold Amity like she’d disappear if she didn’t hold her tight enough. It was a terrifying prospect--for Amity to suddenly vanish from Luz’s life, as if she was just an illusion all along.

But from the absence of the Harrow’s voice in her head, Luz could tell that this was one hundred percent real. From Amity’s tears beginning to swell, she could tell that the witchling also had the same worries. And so the human and the witch held onto each other, silently vowing to never truly let go of each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No notes for now-I will be uploading another chapter that's pretty much exclusively notes later tonight. If you don't care about that, then don't get worked up when you see chapter 9 posted.  
> Thanks for reading!


	9. Author's Note(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> see above

First of all, I'd like to thank you all for joining me on this little adventure. All the feedback, kudos, bookmarks, comments, etc., made me so happy. I never expected this random idea I had in my head to garner as much attention as it did. Even if it isn't as big or as popular as other stories, I get giddy whenever I see someone commented on it.

This was the first big personal project I've finished in years. For an incredibly long time, I struggled with writer's block and wasn't able to finish stories. I could start them, but I'd end up with no clue on how to get them to continue. The Harrow was something of a personal test, I guess--a test to see if I could still finish something, if I knew what I wanted to do with it. A test to see if I still had it in me to give something big to the world.

So now that it's over, where does that leave us? Where does that leave me?

I think I rediscovered something about creative writing that made me like it in the first place. So I sit here, for the first time in a long time, excited to keep writing. And while I have my other fic, (its an avatar AU check it out its gonna be a blast) it feels almost wrong to leave The Harrow as it is now.

So, maybe every once in a while, I'll post a one shot that's in the same universe as The Harrow. There was a lot I wanted to do that would interrupt the flow of the story, so they'll eventually be uploaded as their own little things. 

Anyway, that's all I have to say. Thank you again for joining me on this journey, and thank you for reading The Harrow!


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